46 Bodies of Teenagers and Young Adults Found... US Police "Suspected Illegal Immigrants"
Heatwave Nearing 40°C... Likely Suffocated in Extreme Heat
On the 27th (local time), an ambulance is leaving the southwestern outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, USA, where a large number of bodies were found inside a large trailer. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Forty-six bodies were found inside a large trailer parked on the outskirts of southwest San Antonio, Texas, near the Mexico border. The trailer had no cooling facilities or even drinking water, and it was heated to a scorching temperature of 40 degrees Celsius due to the heatwave.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 27th (local time), 46 bodies presumed to be illegal immigrants were found inside a large trailer abandoned on the outskirts of southwest San Antonio. The deceased were reported to be women and men ranging from teenagers to young adults.
The fire department stated that 16 survivors, including four children, were transported to nearby hospitals, and at the time of discovery, they showed symptoms of heatstroke and dehydration.
The exact cause of death has not been determined, but considering that the temperature in San Antonio reached 40 degrees Celsius that day, it appears that the victims suffocated inside the trailer due to the high heat. There were no air conditioners or other cooling devices inside the trailer, and no drinking water was found.
On the 27th (local time), police were working near a large trailer where multiple bodies were found on the southwestern outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, USA. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
William McManus, the police chief, stated that those inside the trailer are presumed to be migrants attempting to enter the United States illegally. San Antonio is located in southern Texas bordering Mexico and is known as a major route used by Central and South American immigrants to enter the U.S.
In this regard, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which manages immigration, has launched an investigation. San Antonio police have arrested three people and are looking into possible connections to human trafficking.
Meanwhile, the NYT described this incident as one of the worst immigrant death cases in recent years. Previously, in 2003, 17 immigrant bodies, including a 7-year-old boy, were found inside a sweltering trailer in Victoria, a southern Texas city. In 2017, ten male migrants were found dead inside a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. That truck also had a broken cooling system and blocked ventilation.
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