Officials have revealed disturbing new details about the dozens of bodies found in an abandoned truck in Texas.
As reported by NBC News, on Monday, emergency personnel discovered dozens of dead bodies in and around an abandoned 18-wheeler truck in San Antonio.
San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said that officials found "stacks of bodies" at the 9600 block of Quintana Road after a member of the public alerted police after hearing "cries for help" from the truck. City officials later revealed that those on board the truck were believed to be undocumented migrants who were crossed into the United States from Mexico as part of a human-trafficking scheme.
On Monday evening, Chief William P. McManus revealed at a police conference that the survivors were "hot to the touch" and "were suffering from heat stroke and heat exhaustion". Those inside the truck were reportedly provided with no water, as temperatures in San Antonio hit 103°F.
The New York Post has since reported that the death toll has risen to 51, in what is now believed to be the deadliest human smuggling case in the US in modern history.
Now, The Texas Tribune reports that officials have revealed further chilling details about the case.
One law enforcement official told the publication that although the truck did have a refrigeration system, it didn't appear to be working.
As a result, temperatures inside the truck continued to become unbearable, and the official says it appears as if people were attempting to jump out of the tractor-trailer - as some bodies were found along several blocks.
The official also revealed that many of those found inside the truck appeared to have "been sprinkled with steak seasoning" in an apparent attempt to "cover up the smell of people".
When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, the vehicle's doors were partially open, with one body reportedly lying outside of the vehicle.
Hood told reported: "We’re not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there. None of us come to work imagining that."
Sixteen people - including four children - were transported to nearby hospitals. Hood did say that he was "very hopeful" that they would survive.
A memorial has been set up nearby to honor those who died, according to Texas Tribune reporter Jinitzail Hernández.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg has asked people for compassion at this time, tweeting: "Migrants seeking asylum should always be treated as a humanitarian crisis, but this evening we're facing a horrific human tragedy.
"More than 40 hopeful lives were lost. I urge you to think compassionately, pray for the deceased, the ailing, and their families at this moment."
Additionally, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said he was "heartbroken by the tragic loss of life".
"Far too many lives have been lost as individuals — including families, women, and children — take this dangerous journey," Mayorkas added.
On Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador revealed that 22 of the dead were Mexican nationals, while seven were from Guatemala and two from Honduras. The nationalities of the remaining people are yet to be confirmed.
Our thoughts continue to go out to all of those affected by this tragedy.
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