The Mexican authorities they found 40 immigrants who were kidnapped by an armed group on Monday while on a bus traveling in northeastern Mexico, they announced today.

The migrants were located on the borders of the states of San Luis Potosi and Nuevo León, in the north of the country, Defense Minister Luis Crescencio Sandoval announced during a press conference.

Nine migrants, belonging to the same group, were found on Monday wandering on a road between the city of Matejuala, in the State of San Luis Potosi, and the city of Saltillo, in the State of Coahuila.

“The 49 immigrants are 23 men, 15 women, six boys and five girls,” Santoval said, clarifying that the migrants come from Venezuela, Brazil, Haiti and El Salvador.

The two bus drivers are being sought, as are other migrants who disappeared under similar circumstances, he added.

According to initial reports, the migrants were allegedly abducted while their bus was refueling at a gas station.

Sandoval said no arrests have been made at this time.

According to authorities and the transport company, the travelers had boarded the bus in Tapachula, in the southern state of Chiapas, a gateway for migrants coming from Central and South America to the US border.

According to the national Transport Confederation, the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of 1,500 dollars (about 1,300 euros) per person.

In April, 35 people, including Mexican tourists and migrants, were kidnapped while crossing the State of San Luis Potosi. They were then found in five vans, which were guarded by armed men, in a deserted area.

In early May, authorities in the state of Sonora in northeastern Mexico found 10 Colombian migrants who had allegedly been kidnapped while trying to cross the border into the US.

These incidents have multiplied in recent months as the number of migrants attempting to cross into the US has increased before the expiration of a measure adopted during the pandemic to block the country. That particular measure, which came into effect in 2020 and expired last week, has been replaced by new immigration regulations, such as restrictions on the right to asylum.