GUATEMALA CITY, Feb 15, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Hundreds of Mexicans who fled to neighboring Guatemala last year because of drug cartel violence have now returned to their country, authorities said Friday.

Nearly 600 Mexicans, including children and the elderly, crossed the border from the southern state of Chiapas in July amid clashes between criminal groups.

Their return home "was possible thanks to the Mexican authorities regaining control of the area," the Guatemalan Institute of Migration said in a statement.

Two adults and one child would remain because they asked to stay for humanitarian reasons, it added.

Chiapas draws tourists with its lush jungle, Indigenous communities and ancient Mayan ruins, but it has also seen intensifying turf wars between gangs fighting for control of drug and people-smuggling routes.

Last June, a clash between drug cartels in Chiapas left 19 people dead, including several Guatemalans.