In the most recent tragedy to take the lives of migrants transported across the border from Mexico to the US, 46 individuals were discovered dead after being left near a tractor-trailer on a lonely back road in San Antonio. Four children were among the sixteen patients that were hospitalized.
Just before 6 o’clock on Monday, a city worker heard a plea for assistance coming from the truck and saw the horrific scene, according to Police Chief William McManus. In the hours that followed, people were still inside the trailer and body bags were laid out on the ground nearby.
The 46 victims, according to San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, had families who were probably looking for a better life.
It is one of the biggest catastrophes that have killed hundreds of migrants recently as they attempted to cross the Mexican border into the United States. Ten migrants perished in a vehicle parked at a San Antonio Walmart in 2017 after being trapped inside. The remains of 19 migrants were discovered in a hot truck southeast of San Antonio in 2003.
It was not immediately clear where the immigrants were from or how long they had been left by the side of the road.
The majority of border crossings illegally occur in South Texas. The closest major city, San Antonio, is where migrants go in cars past Border Patrol checkpoints before dispersing across the country.
When the police came, they discovered a corpse outside the trailer with the gate only slightly open. Three people were detained, but it wasn’t apparent whether they had any direct connection to human trafficking, according to McManus.
According to Fire Chief Charles Hood, 12 adults and four children were among the 16 patients with heat-related disorders who were sent to hospitals. He said that there was no water in the trailer and that the patients were both hot to the touch and dehydrated.
According to McManus, US Homeland Security Investigations was in charge of the investigation into those in the trailer who were allegedly involved in an effort to smuggle migrants into the country.
