The number of people who have died as a result of the Texas truck tragedy has risen to 50.
On Monday afternoon, dozens of bodies were found by emergency personnel in and around an abandoned 18-wheeler truck in San Antonio. Per NBC News, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said that officials discovered "stacks of bodies" inside the truck at the scene of 9600 block of Quintana Road.
At least 16 others - 12 adults and four children - were transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for apparent dehydration and heat exhaustion.
A member of the public approached the truck and hearing "cries for help".
In a press conference on Monday, Chief William P. McManus revealed that police first received a call about the track at around 5:50PM (local time). Sharing further details, he said that the survivors were "hot to the touch" and "were suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion."
Outside temperatures of up to 103°F were recorded on Monday (June 27).
More on this tragic story below:City officials say that they are all believed to be undocumented migrants who were crossed into the United States from Mexico as part of a human-trafficking scheme. NBC reports that it is now believed to be the deadliest human smuggling case in the US in recent history.
On Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador revealed that the death toll has now risen to 50.
President Obrador said 22 of the dead were Mexican nationals, while seven were from Guatemala and two from Honduras. The nationalities of the remaining 19 people are yet to be confirmed.
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.
Meanwhile, Texas Greg Abbott has responded to the deaths by criticizing President Joe Biden’s "open border policies".
"These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law," Abbott wrote on Twitter.
The Archbishop of San Antonio, Gustavo Garcia Siller, also called for the Biden administration to address immigration reform, writing:
"Once again, the lack of courage to deal with immigration reform is killing and destroying lives. We do not learn. God teach us to change. Humanity is at stake constantly. We pray, we love, we trust. Give us strength! We want to do your will."
Three people are now in custody, says McManus, although it is unclear if they are "absolutely connected" to the deaths.
Homeland Security Investigations has now taken over the investigation.
Our thoughts continue to go out to all of those affected by this tragedy.
