At least 15 migrants were found trapped in a blistering train car just east of Uvalde, Texas, Friday afternoon, leaving two dead and sending several others to the hospital.
According to a release from the Uvalde Police Department's Facebook page, 911 dispatchers received a call from an unknown caller at around 3:50 p.m. local time "advising there were numerous undocumented immigrants 'suffocating' inside of a train car." According to the National Weather Service, Uvalde reached highs of 87 degrees Friday around the same time the call to 911 was made.
Uvalde officials said that U.S. Border Patrol agents were informed of the call and stopped a Union Pacific train carrying the car near Knippa, Texas, a little over 11 miles east of Uvalde. Around 15 migrants were found by authorities "in need of immediate medical attention" inside the car. Police said that five were flown to San Antonio-area hospitals for treatment, while five others were transported to local area hospitals.
Police also confirmed that two of the migrants were pronounced dead at the scene. It is unclear if the 911 call came from inside the train car or if one of the victims had contacted a relative outside of the train to ask for help.
According to Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin Jr., the train car was "wired shut" when border officials arrived, reported The New York Times. McLaughlin, who was briefed by authorities, said that many of the victims were found to be severely dehydrated, while a few appeared to still be in good health.
In an interview with Texas Public Radio (TPR), McLaughlin said that he learned from authorities that the victims were stuck inside the train car for about three hours in the blistering temperatures.
"There were more people than we had ambulances [currently] available in Uvalde," McLaughlin told TPR. "We called them in from everywhere—Kerrville, San Antonio, Hondo, and locally in Uvalde."
Uvalde police added that Union Pacific will lead the investigation into the deadly incident.
Investigators at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said they were looking into the possibility of a human smuggling scenario, reported Reuters. Friday's deadly incident is reminiscent of a case near San Antonio in June, when over 50 migrants died after being trapped inside a tractor-trailer with no water or air conditioning. Officials said temperatures were around 102 degrees when the victims were discovered in the June incident.
The Department of Justice later arrested Homero Zamorano Jr., a 45-year-old Texas native suspected of driving the truck in June, charging him in the migrant smuggling. Federal officials also charged 28-year-old Christian Martinez on one count of conspiracy to transport illegal migrants resulting in death.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tweeted Friday evening that the department was "heartbroken to learn of yet another tragic incident of migrants taking the dangerous journey."
"I thank the Border Patrol Agents who responded to the scene and the HSI Agents who are supporting the investigation in Uvalde," Mayorkas wrote. "We will work with the Uvalde County Sheriff's Office to hold those responsible. Smugglers are callous and only care about making a profit."
According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), human smuggling, the illegal importation of people into a country by evading immigration laws, is a daily occurrence along the southern border.
Newsweek has reached out to the ICE Office of Public Affairs via email for comment.
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Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more
