On Monday, forty-six migrants were found dead in the back of a tractor trailer in San Antonio, law enforcement said. Sixteen others, 12 adults and four children, were taken to local hospitals with heat-related injuries.
Police Chief William McManus said at a news conference that authorities received a call at approximately 5:50 pm local time from a worker who had heard screams for help and found the trailer with the doors partially open. The worker found a number of bodies inside the trailer, McManus said.
McManus said three people were detained, though he noted that authorities are not sure they are related to the situation. The incident is now under federal investigation.
San Antonio fire chief Charles Hood said the 16 people taken to the hospital were all conscious when they found them, even though they were “weak” and could not have gotten out of the trailer alone. He said they were all “hot to the touch” and suffered heat-related injuries such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
He said there were no signs of running water or air conditioning on the truck, and authorities said it is unclear how long the group was inside the truck before finding them.
The victims were a mix of men and women and of varying ages, but none of the dead appeared to be minors, authorities said.
Hood said the first officials were now being consulted to help them process what they witnessed.
“You’re not supposed to open a truck and see stacks of bodies in there,” he said. “None of us come to work imagining it.”
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg called the situation “a horrible human tragedy.”
Migrants seeking asylum should always be treated as a humanitarian crisis, but this evening we face a horrible human tragedy.
More than 40 hopeful lives were lost. I ask you to think compassionately, pray for the dead, the sick, and their families at this time.
– Mayor Ron Nirenberg (@Ron_Nirenberg) June 28, 2022
Homeland Security Investigations is leading the investigation into the alleged human trafficking incident and will work in conjunction with the San Antonio Police Department, law enforcement officials told CBS News.
DHS said in a statement that it is “horrified by this tragic loss of life near San Antonio. This speaks to the desperation of migrants who would put their lives in the hands of insensitive human traffickers who show no respect for human life.” .
An ICE spokesman said in a statement that national security investigations responded to the scene after receiving a call from the police department. The spokesman said more details will be given as the investigation continues.
More than 20 emergency vehicles responded to the scene, CBS affiliate KENS-TV reported.
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