At least 46 dead bodies found inside truck in Texas
The bodies of at least 46 people have been found inside a semi-trailer in the US city of San Antonio in Texas.
It is believed they were undocumented migrants an a presumed people smuggling attempt.
16 others, including four children, were found alive at the scene on Monday night, some in a critical condition.
They’ve since been taken to hospital.
“We’re not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there," San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood said.
"None of us come to work imagining that, so we are working through the behavioural health of our folks right now.”
While it has not yet been confirmed how they died, authorities are pointing to the heatwave that has gripped much of the southern US this summer with record high temperatures.
“The patients that we saw were hot to touch," Chief Hood added.
"They were suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion. [There were] no signs of water in the vehicle that was a refrigerated truck trailer but there was no visible AC unit working on that rig.”
In what is being described as the worst case of migrant death in recent years, it’s claimed the group had crossed into the US illegally inside the 18-wheeler.
The truck was found discarded near railway tracks in a secluded area in the city’s southwest by a local worker who heard a cry for help.
They discovered the door of the truck partially open and several bodies inside.
Police believe the driver had abandoned the vehicle sometime before it was found.
Officers have since arrested three people in relation to the incident, but say they don't know if the trio is absolutely connected to it or not.
The investigation has since been handed over to Federal authorities including Homeland Security Investigations.
Officials in Texas, who have already been managing record levels of migrant crossings from Mexico, had been bracing for a surge in cases.
Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, has blamed the deaths on the president.
“These deaths are on Biden,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
At Least 42 People Found Dead Inside Truck Carrying Migrants In Texas.
These deaths are on Biden.
They are a result of his deadly open border policies.
They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law. https://t.co/8KG3iAwlEk— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) June 28, 2022
“They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.”
Monday’s devastating incident comes just 24 hours after San Antonio police uncovered a human smuggling operation at a local property where 14 illegal immigrants were discovered.
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