US opens Criminal investigation after 51 people die in Texas truck

The US opens criminal investigation after 51 people die in Texas truck

Authorities in the United States have launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of at least 51 people trapped inside a tractor-trailer found abandoned in the city of San Antonio in southern Texas.

This incident is one of the worst human trafficking tragedies on the US-Mexico border in recent history.

The driver of the truck and two others were arrested Tuesday in connection with the abduction, Texas US Representative Henry Cuellar told the Associated Press.

The Mexican driver, who lives in the United States, is currently in a medical hospital, a Mexican official told Reuters news office.

The other men, Mexican nationals identified as  Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez, were arrested from the building where the truck was registered. According to court documents, they were charged with possession of firearms while staying in the United States illegally. The complainants did not make any specific allegations regarding the death.

The dead included 39 men and 12 women and were found Monday in the suburbs of San Antonio, where temperatures rose to 39.4C (103F). A local law enforcement official told Reuters that bodies were found inside the vehicle after the rear door of the trailer was opened and scattered over two blocks.

Local officials said there were no signs of water inside the truck or air conditioning. Authorities said there were "layers of bodies" and some refugees and immigrants were hot to the touch.

A dozen survivors, including four minors, were taken to area hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion.

The dead are believed to be at least 27 Mexicans, three Guatemalans, and four Hondurans, according to officials from three countries. There is no immediate information on the nationality of the other victims.

The truck may have been carrying about 100 refugees and migrants, but the exact number is unclear, officials told Reuters.

They recently crossed the border and were reportedly taken by truck to their place of work, quoting a Mexican official, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official, and another U.S. official, Reuters reported. Anonymous to discuss the matter.

Authorities were alerted to the truck by an emergency 911 call from a passerby who was flagged down for help by an immigrant who escaped from the truck, officials said. Authorities said the victims were sprayed with a spicy substance, which some smugglers are known to use to hide the smell of human cargo and to avoid detecting dogs.

On Monday, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said a man working in a nearby building heard cries for help, came out of the interrogation and saw the trailer's doors slightly open, and found several bodies inside.

Some survivors of human trafficking in the past have been remanded in custody by the U.S. Marshal Service to testify as witnesses.