Panama says 55 US-bound migrants have died crossing Darién Gap this year

Officials also say 180 children have been abandoned crossing treacherous jungle from Colombia

Fifty-five US-bound migrants have died and 180 children have been abandoned this year while crossing the treacherous Darien jungle from Colombia, according to Panama's president, Jose Raul Mulino.

Despite dangers including fast-flowing rivers, wild animals and criminal gangs, the Darien is a key corridor for Venezuelan and other migrants traveling overland from South America through Central America and Mexico to the United States.