HOUSTON (Texas): Authorities in the city of San Antonio in the US state of Texas discovered a gruesome scene Monday after at least 46 people were found dead in a tractor-trailer near Lackland Air Force Base.
The bodies were found in an 18-wheeler next to a set of railroad tracks in a secluded area in the southwest part of the city near the intersection of Cassin Drive and Quintana Road.
Police said temperatures in South Central Texas reached 39.4°C on Monday when the bodies were discovered.
“It’s probably close to 100 (degrees) in the truck,” a law enforcement official said in an interview as reported by Anadolu Agency, adding that about half of the group were likely dead.
At least 16 other people were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are on the scene and believe the bodies were those of migrants.
The US-Mexico border is a gateway for cross-border smuggling and human trafficking, but the sweltering summer heat in Texas makes this illegal activity even more dangerous as temperatures consistently reach and surpass the 100-degree mark. – BERNAMA
