According to reports, at least 42 migrants were found dead inside a tractor-trailer on a roadway in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday.
Just before six o’clock in the evening, the victims were found inside the 18-wheeler on Quintana Road in San Antonio. Police Chief William McManus of San Antonio claimed the timing was local.
16 survivors, including four minors, were reportedly sent to nearby hospitals for treatment of heatstroke and dehydration-related ailments.
There are about 46 migrants dead in San Antonio. Our prayers raised up to you O Lord for their souls. Lord have mercy on them. They hoped for a better life. Lord after Uvalde and now this, help us! We need you! So many people suffering. God, God, God.
— Archbishop Gustavo (@ABishopGustavo) June 28, 2022
Sources told Fox News the truck was believed to have been part of a human-smuggling operation involving migrants.
In a report by the New York Times, the 18-wheeler was left behind in a secluded spot close to train tracks. The KSAT reported that police and emergency personnel were utilizing thermal imaging cameras along the tracks to look for any possible survivors as well as the driver, who is still at large.
Authorities said that the discovery came after a nearby worker heard a cry for help and found the trailer with its doors partially open and bodies inside.
“We’re not supposed to be able to open a truck and see stacks of bodies in there,” San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said.
The migrants’ causes of death were not immediately known, despite Monday’s 102-degree high in San Antonio. According to information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration given by the New York Post, a vehicle’s temperature can rise to nearly 115 degrees while the outside temperature is 70 degrees.
The New York Times reported that all of the victims were thought to have entered the US illegally and were undocumented migrants.
“The plight of migrants seeking refuge is always a humanitarian crisis but tonight we are dealing with a horrific human tragedy,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said.
The death toll was initially reported at 20 people. The new count makes the tragedy one of the deadliest incidents of migrant trafficking in the US in recent years.
A spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement:
“We will continue to address the serious public safety threat posed by human smuggling organizations and their reckless disregard for the health and safety of those smuggled.”
Watch the video report here: Youtube/Fox 4
Sources: Dailywire, Ndtv, ABCnews
