In the US city of San Antonio, Texas, 46 migrants have been found dead in a truck that had been abandoned near a railroad track. That’s what the state governor, Greg Abbott, said Monday night confirmed†
An unnamed U.S. official said 16 others were taken alive from the truck and taken to hospitals in San Antonio, the AP news agency reported. Among them are four children.
The truck was found on the southern outskirts of the city by agents of the United States Department of Homeland Security who specialize in human trafficking investigations. reports The Washington Post† San Antonio is about 250 kilometers from the US border with Mexico.
Increase in migration
A large number of police cars and ambulances surrounded the vehicle, as can be seen in photos of the location. The truck could be seen in the distance, sloping near roadside vegetation. On Monday evening, the temperature in the area rose to 39 degrees Celsius.
The gruesome find is immediately regarded as one of the deadliest smuggling incidents in the US. In May 2003, 19 migrants died in the hold of a truck in southern Texas. The driver of that vehicle, who failed to turn on the refrigeration system, was later sentenced to 34 years in prison.
The find follows an increase in migration on the U.S. southern border, he said The Washington Post† Arrests of migrants at the US-Mexico border reached the highest number ever in May, according to figures from the US customs and border security service CPB. The organization made more than 239,000 arrests along the border last month.
This post was updated at 6:00 AM on Tuesday morning. The death toll has been raised to 46.