At least 46 bodies found in trailer, San Antonio officials say
At least 46 dead bodies were found in a truck’s tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday evening, in what authorities suspect may be a shocking instance of cross-border migrant trafficking gone wrong.
Another 16 people were taken to local hospitals in varying conditions, according to officials, including four children. Police have taken three people into custody.
A city worker heard a cry for help from the abandoned truck before discovering the gruesome scene, said police chief William McManus.
Mexico foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard called the suffocation of the migrants in the truck the “tragedy in Texas” while San Antonio’s mayor Ron Nirenberg called it a “horrific human tragedy”.
“There are, that we know of, 46 individuals who are no longer with us, who had families, who were likely trying to find a better life. And we have 16 folks who are fighting for their lives in the hospital,” he said.
Texas governor Greg Abbott blamed the tragedy on the Biden administration, claiming “open borders” led to the horrific scene.
The Department of Homeland Security is investigating the incident.
How political leaders have responded
Texas governor Greg Abbott blamed the Biden administration’s “deadly open border policies” for the deaths. “These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies,” he tweeted.
Mexico’s foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard called the suffocation of the migrants in the truck the “tragedy in Texas” on Twitter and said the local consulate was en route to the scene, though the nationalities of the victims had not been confirmed.
Beto O’Rourke, the former congressman and Democratic candidate for governor of Texas, called the deaths in the incident “devastating” as he demanded urgent action to “dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration”.
Homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he was “heartbroken by the tragic loss of life today” and is “praying for those still fighting for their lives.”
“Far too many lives have been lost as individuals — including families, women, and children — take this dangerous journey,” he tweeted.
Congressman Joaquin Castro said he is in touch with the secretary of homeland security, adding the agency is “working to alert their families, find everyone responsible for this crime and investigate exactly what happened”.
Namita Singh28 June 2022 09:30
What we know so far
At least 46 people were found dead in a tractor-trailer that was abandoned on a remote back road in San Antonio, Texas.
Sixteen people, including four children were taken to hospital and are being treated for heat-related illnesses.
A San Antonio fire department official said they found “stacks of bodies” and no signs of water in the truck.
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