More 1,200 Mexicans have died of the novel coronavirus in the United States, Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Tuesday, adding that another 12 citizens around the world have also fallen victim to the deadly virus.

Ebrard said more than half of the US deaths were in New York, while five of the worldwide deaths happened in Canada.

As borders all over the world were closed due to the pandemic, Mexico repatriated more than 14,600 people, including almost 4,000 from Europe, Ebrard said.

Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, pictured in March, says the country repatriated more than 14,000 citizens from abroad during the lockdown
Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, pictured in March, says the country repatriated more than 14,000 citizens from abroad during the lockdown Mexican Presidency / -

Remittances sent home from Mexicans living abroad is an important source of income for many people.

Those coming from the US dropped 2.6 percent in April compared to the same month in 2019, having reached a record of more than $4 billion in March 2020.

Some 12 million people born in Mexico live in the US, as well as another 26 million second or third generation Mexicans.

Mexico, a country of 127 million, had recorded more than 120,000 coronavirus cases by Monday and over 14,000 deaths, making it one of the worst hit countries in Latin America.

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