At least 46 dead bodies were found in a truck’s tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday evening, in what authorities suspect may be a shocking instance of cross-border migrant trafficking gone wrong.
Another 16 people were taken to local hospitals in varying conditions, according to officials, including four children. Police have taken three people into custody.
A city worker heard a cry for help from the abandoned truck before discovering the gruesome scene, said police chief William McManus.
Mexico foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard called the suffocation of the migrants in the truck the “tragedy in Texas” while San Antonio’s mayor Ron Nirenberg called it a “horrific human tragedy”.
“There are, that we know of, 46 individuals who are no longer with us, who had families, who were likely trying to find a better life. And we have 16 folks who are fighting for their lives in the hospital,” he said.
Texas governor Greg Abbott blamed the tragedy on the Biden administration, claiming “open borders” led to the horrific scene.
The Department of Homeland Security is investigating the incident.
