[ad_1]
At least 51 migrants have died after being trapped inside a sweltering tractor-trailer truck found abandoned in Texas, authorities said on Tuesday, as two Mexican nationals tied to the smuggling incident were charged in U.S. federal court.
The deceased migrants, 39 men and 12 women, were discovered on Monday on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, in one of the deadliest human trafficking tragedies in recent history.
Two suspects identified as Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez, both Mexican citizens, have been charged with possessing firearms while residing in the United States illegally, according to court documents and U.S. authorities.
Investigators traced the truck’s vehicle registration to a San Antonio address that they placed under surveillance, and arrested the two men separately when each was seen leaving the residence.
A third suspect, described as a U.S. citizen who drove the truck, has also been taken into custody and was expected to be charged, but he remained hospitalized as of Tuesday evening, according to a Mexican official.
The truck had been left parked next to some railroad tracks on the outskirts of San Antonio, where temperatures soared to a high of 103 Fahrenheit (39.4 Celsius). Bodies were found inside the vehicle and strewn over a couple of blocks, after the rear door of the trailer had been opened, a local law enforcement official told Reuters on Tuesday.
Local authorities said there were no signs of water or visible means of air-conditioning inside the truck. The officials said there were “stacks of bodies” and that some of the migrants were hot to the touch.
“It’s unspeakable,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said on MSNBC, noting that his community depends on migrants while there is a labor shortage. “It’s a tragedy beyond explanation.”
U.S. President Joe Biden said in a Tuesday statement the incident was…
[ad_2]
Source : france24
