The number of people found dead on Monday, June 27 in a truck in Texas is at least 46, according to a new report released at a press conference by San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood.
“ We have so far taken care of about 46 bodies “, indicated Charles Hood, who specified that sixteen wounded – twelve adults and four children – had been taken care of and were “ aware » when transporting them to health care services. Trucks such as the one found in San Antonio, nearly 240 km from the border with Mexico, are a means of transport frequently used by migrants wishing to enter the United States.
The mass grave was discovered by an individual working nearby, who “ heard a cry for help and walked over to see what he was up to, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said at the press conference. Three people were arrested, he said, but ” we don’t know if they are absolutely related to this or not “. The investigation, now federal, has been entrusted to investigators from the Department of Homeland Security, added the police chief.
46 people found dead in an 18-wheeler trailer on San Antonio’s Southwest side.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus says a worker found the trailer after hearing cries for help.
16 people are in the hospital with heat illnesses. 12 adults; 4 paediatrics. @TPRNews pic.twitter.com/lHCZkmazqk
—Joey Palacios (@Joeycules) June 28, 2022
Such a trip is extremely dangerous, especially since these vehicles are rarely air-conditioned and their occupants quickly run out of water. “ The patients we saw were hot to the touch, they were suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, no water was found in the vehicle “, listed the fire chief.
” A tragedy “
“ We face a horrific human tragedy tonightcommented Ron Nirenberg, mayor of San Antonio. We hope that those responsible for placing these people in such inhumane conditions will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. »
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard regretted on Twitter a “ tragedy and indicated that the Mexican consul, although we do not “ don’t know the nationalities of the victims, went there. Republican Governor of Texas Greg Abbott immediately seized on the tragedy to blame it on Democratic President Joe Biden. “ These deaths are (the responsibility of) Biden. They are the result of his deadly policy of open borders “, he attacked.
Tragedia in Texas. Asfixiados en la caja del trailer según inquired. Consul en ruta al punto. Condolencias a las víctimas y sus familias. Aún no conocemos nacionalidades. https://t.co/4d7hDErHwo
— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) June 28, 2022
The arrivals of illegal migrants increased sharply after the election of Joe Biden, although the latter has been trying since his arrival at the White House to stem the influx of migrants by entrusting this thorny issue to his Vice President Kamala Harris.
In 2017, a similar tragedy had marked the spirits: ten migrants had died in an overheated trailer parked in a parking lot near San Antonio.
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