At least 46 people were found dead in an 18-wheeler Monday in San Antonio, Texas, the city’s fire department chief Charles Hood said during a press conference.
The individuals are believed to be migrants, according to the Texas Tribune, which cited federal, state and local authorities. Cartels and criminal smuggling groups have used large trucks and trailers through the area to attempt to traffic illegal aliens.
“The patients that we saw were hot to the touch. They were suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, no signs of water in the vehicle. It was a refrigerated tractor trailer, but there was no visible working ac unit on that rig,” Hood said.
The Mexican foreign minister said Tuesday that 50 people are dead. Twenty-two of the deceased are Mexicans, 7 are Guatemalans, and 2 are Hondurans, he said.
There were 16 others transported to the hospital, including 12 adults and 4 children, Hood said. The investigation has been turned over to federal authorities with Homeland Security Investigations, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said during the news conference, noting that a nearby worker heard cries for help and was the first to discover the truck. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: My Night At The Border With ‘Operation Lone Star’ In Texas)
Three individuals were taken into custody, McManus said.
BREAKING- We have several crews on scene where at least 20 people are reported dead inside a tractor trailer at Quintana Road & Cassin Road #KSATnews@LeighWaldman @ksatpattysantos https://t.co/nLbZhH1xaZ pic.twitter.com/xqC7mREmgh
— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) June 28, 2022
“Faithful of the archdiocese of San Antonio, we are still holding in prayers our people in Uvalde; now, we are told that over 40 migrant people, our people, have died here in San Antonio,” the San Antonio Archbishop wrote on Twitter Monday.
Faithful of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, we are still holding in prayers our people in Uvalde; now, we are told that over 40 migrant people, our people, have died here in San Antonio. There are about 15 survivors been sent to hospitals. Let’s be in one in solidarity, O God!
— Archbishop Gustavo (@ABishopGustavo) June 28, 2022
In November 2021, a man was sentenced to nearly two and a half years in prison for smuggling illegal aliens from Laredo, Texas, in a tanker truck to San Antonio.
The San Antonio Police Department declined to respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment, saying a news conference is forthcoming.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is available.
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