19,000 migrants amassed in Colombia near Panama border: Official

Around 19,000 migrants, mostly Haitians, have gathered on Colombia's north coast in the hopes of crossing into Panama and making their way to the United States, said an official.

Some 19,000 migrants, mainly Haitians, are amassed on the north coast of Colombia, from where they hope to cross to Panama and find a route to the United States, an official in Bogota said on Wednesday.

Some have been stranded for weeks in the coastal town of Necocli in the northwestern Antioquia department, waiting for seats on boats that cross the Gulf of Uraba by boat to Acandi, which borders Panama.