Human Interest At Least 39 Dead and 29 Injured in Migrant Center Fire Near U.S.-Mexico Border The blaze reportedly broke out just before 10 p.m. on Monday night in the Mexican state of Chihuahua By Kimberlee Speakman Published on March 28, 2023 08:08 AM Share Tweet Pin Email More than three dozen people are reportedly dead and more than two dozen injured after a deadly fire at a migrant center near the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexico's National Migration Institute (INM) released a statement Tuesday that reported 39 deaths and 29 injuries from the devastating fire, which it claimed broke out just before 10 p.m. on Monday night in the Mexican state of Chihuahua in Ciudad Juarez. Photos and videos taken outside the facility following the blaze showed several bodies covered in shiny tarps lined up beside emergency service vehicles, reported Reuters. The INM said that the 29 injured were transported to four local hospitals in conditions ranging from "delicate" to "serious." Luis Torres/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock A total of 68 men from Central and South America had been staying at the facility at the time of the blaze, INM added in its release. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. "This immigration authority will promptly monitor the evolution of the health status of those who are hospitalized and will provide full support to the families of the victims," the INM continued. Mexico's National Migration Institute did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Texas Sheriff Launches Investigation After Migrants Are Flown to Martha's Vineyard: 'They Were Preyed Upon' Luis Torres/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Andrea Chávez, federal deputy of Ciudad Juarez, said in a Facebook statement Tuesday that an investigation into the incident had been launched by the country's prosecutor general. "It is with deep sadness and grief that we learned of the fire that occurred inside the INM in Ciudad Juárez," Chávez wrote about the tragedy, the cause of which has yet to be officially announced. "We will wait for the official information and, from this moment on, we extend our condolences to the families of the migrants." RELATED Video: 2 Dead, 8 Rescued and Several Others Still Missing After Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Florida Keys The migrant facility is located close to the Santa Fe International Bridge, neighboring El Paso, Texas, reported NBC News. It is one of the sites where immigrants who have requested asylum in the U.S. stay while they wait for permission to cross, per Associated Press. A number of migrants have traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border in anticipation of the end of Title 42, which gives U.S. border officials the authority to immediately reject migrants at the border, after the Biden Administration indicated that it would end the act, added the BBC.