On June 27, more than 40 bodies believed to be illegal immigrants were discovered in an abandoned container truck in the suburbs of San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Today the number has reached 51 deaths.
All victims were unidentified and were found in a container truck near the Mexican border. The location of the container truck was discovered to be the place where human trafficking groups often release migrants.
US police arrived at the scene at nearly 6 pm (nearly 6 am on June 28, UTC + 7) after a worker at a building near the scene heard a cry for help. When approaching, this worker discovered that the container truck was partially open, with a lot of dead bodies inside.
The San Antonio police chief said 46 people were initially identified as dead. Earlier, Republican Representative Tony Gonzales posted on Twitter that 42 people had died, including children.
“None of the victims were able to get out of the container truck. It means they were too weak to save themselves. They could only wait for help.”
The death toll in the container reported on June 29 has reached at least 51 victims, including 39 men and 12 women.
Another 16 people were taken to hospital in a state of heat exhaustion and dehydration. Five victims later died. At the time of the incident, San Antonio’s outdoor temperature reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said at a news conference that the victims were all in a state of heat stroke and exhaustion. Their bodies are very hot. There is no air conditioning in the car and no drinking water. It is not clear how long the deceased died before being discovered.
The identities and nationalities of the victims are also being determined. Of the 51 deaths, 22 were from Mexico, and nine were from the other Central American countries, Guatemala and Honduras.
