WASHINGTON: The death toll of migrants inside a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, has risen to 46, while 16 persons have been hospitalised. Mayor Ron Nirenberg called the incident a “horrific human tragedy.”
Sixteen people — 12 adults and four children — have been taken to nearby medical facilities for further care, according to San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood, reported CNN.
Those who were found alive were hot to the touch and suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion, Hood said.
High temperatures in the San Antonio area ranged from the high 90s to low 100s on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
Three of the migrants found were taken to Methodist Hospital Metropolitan and are in stable condition, according to a spokesperson for Methodist Healthcare.
Earlier on Monday night, city councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia referred to the victims as migrants, after she was briefed on the situation by the San Antonio police chief.
Authorities were alerted to the scene just before 6 pm local time, when a worker in a nearby building heard a cry for help, according to San Antonio Police Chief Bill McManus. The worker found a trailer with doors partially opened and saw a number of people deceased inside, McManus said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed the tragic incident in a Twitter post that at least 42 people were found dead inside the truck, adding, “These deaths are on Biden. They are the result of his deadly open border policies.”
There has been no indication as to what may have caused the deaths, but temperatures in San Antonio, which is about 160 miles (250 km) from the Mexican border, hit a high of 103F (39.4C) on Monday with high humidity, reported Sky News.
The Secretary of Foreign Affairs for Mexico said that a consul is on its way to the neighbourhood, adding that the nationalities of the deceased are unknown. “Tragedy in Texas. Reportedly suffocated in trailer box,” he wrote on Twitter.
Archbishop Gustavo, a Catholic priest in San Antonio, lamented the tragedy so soon after the Uvalde shooting, writing on Twitter, “Lord have mercy on them. They hoped for a better life. Lord after Uvalde and now this, help us! We need you! So many people suffering. God, God, God.” (ANI)