The number of dead immigrants found on trains in Texas rises to seven.
Authorities investigate possible case of human trafficking after finding of victims in Laredo and San Antonio
The Texas authorities are investigating a possible case of human trafficking after the finding of seven deceased immigrants related to freight trains in different areas of the state.
The Secretary of Foreign Relations(SRE) confirmed that three of the victims were Mexican, after the Laredo Police Department notified the discovery of six bodies inside a container.
Hours later, Bexar County authorities located a seventh person dead near railway tracks in San Antonio, about 257 kilometers from Laredo. According to the first investigations, the man could be related to the same group of immigrants.
“The most likely scenario is that it involves a person from Mexico who was transported illegally inside one of these containers,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar stated during a press conference.
According to the authorities, a family member of the victim contacted the police after receiving a message in which the man claimed to feel bad due to the intense heat inside the railway car.
The Webb County medical examiner confirmed that among the victims located in Laredo there were five men and one woman. One of the deceased could be a minor, although their identity has not yet been officially confirmed.
The first forensic reports point to hyperthermia having been the main cause of death. On Sunday, day of The finding, temperatures in the region reached 105 degrees Fahrenheit, equivalent to more than 40 degrees Celsius.
The coroner's office preliminarily identified a 29-year-old Mexican woman and a 24-year-old Honduran man. “It's very "hyperthermia probably was the cause of death of the entire group," medical authorities said in a statement.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry reported that it maintains permanent contact with US authorities and with the families of the victims to provide consular assistance, legal support, and eventual repatriation of the remains.
“Personnel from the protection department will maintain contact with the families of the identified Mexican individuals,” the SRE stated in an official statement.
The case also raised new questions about human smuggling operations that use freight trains to move immigrants into the interior of the United States.
A Union Pacific spokesperson assured that the railway company collaborates with the authorities in the investigations. “We are deeply saddened by this incident,” the company indicated.