PANAMA CITY, July 31 (Reuters) - The number of people crossing the treacherous Darien Gap linking Panama and Colombia hit an all-time high in the first seven months of the year, figures released on Monday showed, with July seeing a sharp jump despite recent efforts to curb the trend. Official data showed 248,901 people walked through the jungle area between January and July, already surpassing the record of 248,284 recorded for the whole of 2022, with most aiming to reach the United States, according to data from Panama's Security Ministry. Entries to Panama from Colombia through the jungle region have continued to rise despite a two-month program launched in April by the United States, Panama and Colombia to tackle undocumented immigration. The flow of migrants has skyrocketed from previous years, despite the start of the rainy season, Panama's Security Minister Juan Pino said earlier this month. Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Persons: Juan Pino, Maria Saravia, Elida Moreno, Valentine Hilaire, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: PANAMA CITY, Panama's Security, Panama's, United Nations, Thomson Locations: PANAMA, Panama, Colombia, United States, Venezuela, Haiti, Ecuador