‘A horrific human tragedy’
At least 46 migrants were found dead Monday in and around a large trailer truck that was abandoned on the roadside on the outskirts of the Texas city of San Antonio.
"At this time we have processed approximately 46 bodies that have been triaged and tagged and declared deceased," San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told reporters. He said that 16 people had been transported to the hospital alive and conscious -- 12 adults and four children. There were no initial details on the age or nationalities of the deceased.
"The patients that we saw were hot to the touch, they were suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, no signs of water in the vehicle, it was a refrigerated tractor-trailer but there was no visible working A/C unit on that rig," Hood said.
Officials said three people were in custody over the incident.
"Tonight we are dealing with a horrific human tragedy," San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg told a press conference. San Antonio, which lies about 250 kilometers (150 miles) from the Mexico border, is a major transit route for people smugglers.
The vehicle was found on a road near Highway I-35, a major US artery that stretches all the way to the border with Mexico.
Local police said the probe had been turned over to the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
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