At Least 40 Migrants Found Dead in San Antonio inside 18-Wheeler, reports say
The body of 46 people found in Texas in the trailer - the dead are believed to have been migrants In addition, 16 people were found alive and transported to the hospital.
Authorities investigated a trailer that buried the bodies yesterday in the city of San Antonio, Texas. Photo: Jordan Vonderhaar / Lehtikuva
The bodies of 46 people have been found in the trailer of a heavy vehicle in the U.S. state of Texas, San Antonio Police Chief Charles Hood said at a news conference.
According to the police chief, a further 16 people were found alive and transported to the hospital. Four of those found alive were minors.
Police Chief William McManus of San Antonio police said at the same news conference that three people have been arrested in connection with the case.
The New York Times, among others, has reported on the matter(switch to another service)and the Texas Tribune.(switch to another service)
According to the Texas Tribune, the trailer was found near the Lackland Air Force base on the west side of San Antonio.
Authorities say that the dead, whose identities have still to be determined, was believed to have been migrants who had crossed the border between Mexico and the United States illegally. Authorities said these people did not plan to make it through the state of Texas alive, as they wanted to enter this state from all points possible and live with family or friends who reside in urban environments like San Antonio.
Authorities are gathering more data about this incident and will report their findings after a further investigation is conducted. These smuggling operations usually don't require planes or crossings through water, but routes on foot rather and if authorities don't find the rest of these migrants who may have successfully gotten past them here then there could be even more deaths along the way.
According to the New York Times, the influx of illegal border crossings has increased to over a previous record high in Texas on the southern border. Last month, 44,000 people crossed the border illegally through the border towns of Del Rio and Eagles Pass, which are the closest border towns to San Antonio.
The trailer found was nearly 200 miles from the border.
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott blamed his Twitter account(switch to another service) on the case of US President Joe Biden and his immigration policy.
“These Deaths are the result of his deadly open door policy,” Abbott wrote in his tweet.
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