At least 46 people were discovered dead inside a tractor-trailer on Monday in San Antonio, Texas, in what appears to be one of the most deadly recent incidents of human smuggling along the US-Mexico border.
The truck was discovered next to railroad tracks in a remote area on the city’s southern outskirts, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the situation.
In images posted on Twitter by a KSAT reporter, police cars and ambulances surrounded a large truck.
According to the New York Times, officers from the San Antonio Police Department were looking for the vehicle’s driver, who was missing from the scene.
San Antonio, about 160 miles (250 kilometers) from the Mexican border, is currently experiencing high humidity.
Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, blamed US President Joe Biden for the deaths, calling them a “result of his lethal open border policies.”
Many undocumented migrants arrive in the United States via tractor-trailers, a common but dangerous mode of transportation.
Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic candidate running against Abbott, said the reports were devastating and called for immediate action to “dismantle human smuggling rings and replace them with expanded avenues for legal migration.”
Mexico’s Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, said the country’s consul was en route to the site of the discovery, emphasizing that the victims’ nationalities were still unknown.
The Mexican General Consulate in San Antonio said on Twitter that any Mexicans involved in the incident would be helped.
Ten migrants died in July 2017 after being transported in a tractor-trailer discovered by San Antonio police in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and the driver was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the smuggling operation. The Mexican General Consulate in San Antonio said on Twitter that any Mexicans involved in the incident would be helped.
Ten migrants died in July 2017 after being transported in a tractor-trailer discovered by San Antonio police in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and the driver was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the smuggling operation.
