Earlier this week, more than 50 people died in a truck in Texas. Most of the victims have now been identified. It was mainly women who fled poverty and violence in their home countries.
Identification is nearly complete after the discovery of more than 50 bodies in an abandoned truck trailer in Texas. According to new information, most of the migrants found dead are women. Only 12 of the 51 dead so far are men, says the head of the Mexican migration authority, Francisco Garduño, in Mexico City. A body has not yet been identified. It is still unclear whether children are among the dead.
Garduño said that 27 of the victims were Mexican, 14 from Honduras, seven from Guatemala and two from El Salvador. According to local police, a worker discovered the bodies on Monday evening (local time) after hearing a call for help from the trailer. At least 16 survivors were dehydrated and taken to a hospital with heat exhaustion. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday the death toll has now risen to 53.
According to the fire department of the Texan city, the trailer, which was parked in the heat of around 40 degrees on the outskirts of San Antonio, apparently had neither a working air conditioning system nor water. The victims were allegedly smuggled into the United States, San Antonio is only about 250 kilometers from the Mexican border. According to Garduño, the truck passed two CBP checkpoints on Monday. The license plates and logos of a Texas company were fake.
The driver said he was a survivor. However, he was identified and – like two other suspects – arrested. Two Mexicans are being investigated on suspicion of human trafficking. The foreign ministers of Mexico and Guatemala announced that their countries would participate in the investigation.
