Story highlights They included women and children

Immigrants fleeing violence and poverty travel through the state of Veracruz

(CNN) Mexican authorities rescued 178 Central American migrants found abandoned in a trailer in Veracruz state, the country's National Institute for Migration said.

Those rescued Saturday included women and children, and are being housed in the nearby town of Tantima, about 400 miles away from the US-Mexico border.

Their health conditions were not immediately known.

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Migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador fleeing violence and poverty travel through the state of Veracruz on their way to the United States.

Without documents, they ride trailers or atop freight trains known to be a vessel for immigration north, called La Bestia, The Beast . Many migrants have been killed or badly injured trying to complete the journey.

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