At least 46 bodies were found in the trailer, San Antonio officials said
At least 46 bodies were found in the trailer of a tow truck in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday night, in which authorities suspect it could be a shocking case of confused cross-border migrant trafficking.
Another 16 people were taken to local hospitals under various conditions, according to officials, including four children. Police detained three people.
A city worker heard a cry for help from the abandoned truck before discovering the horrific scene, said Police Chief William McManus.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called the suffocation of migrants in the truck a “tragedy in Texas,” while San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg called it a “horrific human tragedy.”
“There are 46 people we know who are no longer with us, who have had families who are probably trying to find a better life. And we have 16 people fighting for their lives in the hospital, “he said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blamed the tragedy on the Biden administration, claiming that “open borders” led to the horrific scene.
The Ministry of Internal Security is investigating the incident.
Key points
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Senator Roland Gutierrez called Governor Abbott’s “failed policy.”
Roland Gutierrez, a Texas senator who represents the city of Uwalde and who has often criticized law enforcement officials and elected officials for the mass shooting at Rob Elementary School, which killed 19 children and two teachers, has called on the state’s governor for his policy on the southern border.
“Another example of @GregAbbott_TX’s failed policies,” the Democrat tweeted Monday night, shortly after it was announced that at least 46 people had died while being smuggled into Texas in the back of a tractor trailer.
“Now he’s watching the deadliest school shooting in Texas history and the biggest migrant death in Texas history, but he tells us he’s in control. Another tragedy that can be avoided. More avoidable deaths. Tragic and disappointing. ”
Johanna Chisholm28 June 2022 12:28
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Migrants reportedly tried to escape the three-digit temperature in a moving truck
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus described the horrific case in which at least 46 people tried to enter Texas through the back of an 18-wheeled car, what he considered to be the deadliest human smuggling incident. who can remember in the city.
High temperatures in the San Antonio area reached a low of 100 on Monday, according to the National Weather Service, causing temperatures inside the crowded trailer to reach triple figures.
Local law enforcement has released new disturbing details of the deadly smuggling incident, including one that appears to confirm that the people in the truck were trying to jump out as their bodies were found several blocks away, according to the Texas Tribune.
Johanna Chisholm28 June 2022 11:28
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“Dog bodies” and no trace of water
A San Antonio firefighter said they had found “piles of bodies” and no traces of water in the truck, which was found next to the railroad tracks in a remote area on the southern outskirts of the city.
Another 16 people found in the trailer were transported to hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion, including four minors, but no children were among the dead, the department said.
“The patients we saw were hot to the touch, they were suffering from heat stroke, exhaustion,” San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told a news conference.
In this aerial view, law enforcement officers investigate a tractor trailer on June 27, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas
(Getty Images)
“It was a refrigerated trailer, but there was no visible working variable device on this platform.
Temperatures in San Antonio, about 160 miles (250 km) from the Mexican border, rose to a high 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4C) on Monday with high humidity.
Namita Singh28 June 2022 10:15
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How did the political leaders react?
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blamed the Biden administration for “the deadly open-border policy.” “These deaths belong to Biden. They are the result of his deadly policy of open borders, “he tweeted.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called the strangulation of migrants in the truck a “Texas tragedy” on Twitter and said the local consulate was on its way to the scene, although the nationality of the victims had not been confirmed.
Beto O’Rourke, a former congressman and Democratic nominee for governor of Texas, called the deaths “devastating” as he called for urgent action to “dismantle human trafficking circles and replace them with expanded opportunities for legal migration.”
Homeland Security Minister Alejandro Mayorkas said he was “devastated by the tragic loss of life today” and “prayed for those who are still fighting for their lives”.
“Too many lives have been lost as individuals – including families, women and children – embark on this dangerous journey,” he wrote on Twitter.
Congressman Joaquin Castro said he was in touch with the Home Secretary, adding that the agency was “working to warn their families, find all those responsible for the crime and investigate exactly what happened.”
Namita Singh, June 28, 2022, 9:30 p.m.
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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 treated for heat-related illnesses.
A San Antonio firefighter said they had found “piles of bodies” and no traces of water in the truck.
The first responders headed to the site where a tractor trailer was found with migrants inside outside of San Antonio, Texas on June 27, 2022.
(Getty Images)
So far, three people have been detained.
Homeland Security is investigating the case.
Namita Singh, June 28, 2022, 8:45 p.m.
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Homeland Security Minister “heartbroken by tragic loss of life”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mallorca has expressed deep grief over the deaths of 46 people in San Antonio, Texas.
“I am devastated by the tragic loss of life today and I am praying for those who are still fighting for their lives,” he tweeted. “Too many lives have been lost as individuals – including families, women and children – embark on this dangerous journey.
Namita Singh28 June 2022 08:00
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Truck registration number associated with Alamo man
The truck, found in San Antonio, has license plates from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Texas, the Washington Post reported, adding that government records linked a man from the Alamo to those numbers.
However, the man’s son-in-law, Isaac Limon, told the publication that the truck number was used fraudulently by those in charge of the smuggling operation.
He added that the truck in charge of registration was a Volvo hauling grain to another part of Texas last week.
“It was a perfect setting,” he told the paper, adding that his father-in-law had been shaken by the incident. “The truck is here. I’m watching it right now. It’s sad to say, but he’s also a bit of a victim because people believe it was him.
Namita Singh, June 28, 2022, 7:17 p.m.
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“Criminal investigation continues”: Internal Security issued a statement
“On June 27, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) responded to a call from the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) in connection with an alleged human smuggling incident involving a Quintana Road tractor trailer near Cassin Road.
“On arrival at the scene, HSI confirmed more than 40 deaths,” a statement from the Homeland Security said in a statement issued late Monday.
Police guarded the area of the scene where a trailer with migrants outside San Antonio, Texas was found on June 27, 2022.
(AFP via Getty Images)
“HSI San Antonio has launched an investigation with the support of SAPD. Details will be disclosed when available, the criminal investigation continues. “
Namita Singh, June 28, 2022 07:16
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“This is devastating,” said the Democratic governor’s candidate
Beto O’Rourke, a former congressman and Democratic nominee for governor of Texas, called the deaths “devastating” as he called for urgent action to “dismantle human trafficking circles and replace them with expanded opportunities for legal migration.”
Namita Singh28 June 2022 06:43
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Fire chief on the horror of finding bodies: “None of us come to work imagining this.”
“We don’t have to open a truck and see piles of bodies there. None of us come to work imagining this, “said San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood.
“None of these people were able to get out of the truck, so they were still there waiting for help when we arrived. Too weak as a condition to get out and help themselves. “
Namita Singh, June 28, 2022, 6:38 p.m.
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