US: Over 40 bodies found inside truck in Texas
Forty-six people were found dead inside a tractor-trailer on Monday in San Antonio of Texas, United States. They are believed to have died as a result of heat exhaustion. The San Antonio Fire Department said 16 others—including four children—found inside the trailer were transported to the hospital for heat stroke and exhaustion. Officials added that three people were taken into custody following the incident.
The truck was found near railroad tracks on San Antonio's southern outskirts. Located about 250km from the Mexican border, San Antonio recorded 39.4 °C on Monday with high humidity. San Antonio's Fire Chief Charles Hood said the truck was refrigerated but there was no water or working air conditioning unit. Patients were hot to the touch and suffering from heat exhaustion, he added.
Sources close to the investigation told the media that the deceased are believed to be migrants. However, the nationalities of the dead are still unknown. Also, no official cause of death has been given so far.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said this was the largest incident of this kind in the city. It is suspected to be an incident of human smuggling along the US-Mexico border. Notably, there have been a record number of migrant crossings at the US-Mexico border in recent months, which has sparked criticisms of the immigration policies of US President Joe Biden.
In a similar incident in July 2017, 10 migrants were found dead in a tractor-trailer that was discovered by the San Antonio Police in a Walmart parking lot. The migrants reportedly died after being transported in the tractor-trailer. Authorities had sentenced the driver, James Matthew Bradley, Jr., to life in prison later in 2018 for his involvement in the smuggling operation.
