Police block the scene where the bodies were discovered Image: Eric Gay/PA Images Police block the scene where the bodies were discovered Image: Eric Gay/PA Images US PRESIDENT JOE Biden has said the deaths of migrants trapped in a truck in Texas shows a need to “go after” the criminal smuggling industry.
The shocking finding is one of the worst disasters involving migrants in the United States in recent years. San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told reporters that at least 46 victims had died and 16 people had been transported to the hospital alive and conscious — 12 adults and four children.Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the toll had reached 50, mostly from Latin American nations including Mexico.
San Antonio, which lies about 250 kilometres from the border, is a major transit route for people smugglers. “This speaks to the desperation of migrants who would put their lives in the hands of callous human smugglers who show no regard for human life,” he said.According to San Antonio police chief William McManus, authorities were first alerted by an emergency call at about 5.50 pm local time .
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican who advocates a tough line on immigration, quickly hit out at Biden over the disaster — blaming the Democrat’s “deadly open border policies”.
Everything is always someone else's fault.