Within a shipping container that was being transported by train in Uvalde County on Friday, officials discovered the bodies of two people who were believed to be migrants who had entered Texas from Mexico. In addition, 13 other people, including at least five people who were in critical condition, were also found inside the container.
The train was passing through a region of Texas that is well-known for its high volume of immigration crossings when it was halted by agents from the United States Border Patrol. The train was moving near the town of Knippa.
A person called 911 at 3:50 p.m. and told dispatchers that approximately 12 to 15 people were experiencing severe symptoms of dehydration and were trapped inside a hot shipping container in an area where spring temperatures have hovered in the 80s in recent days, according to Daniel Rodriguez, the chief of police for the city of Uvalde, which is approximately 11 miles west of Knippa. Uvalde is approximately 11 miles west of Knippa. He said that according to their accounts, the victims were choking and had problems breathing at the time the incident occurred.
According to Don McLaughlin Jr., mayor of Uvalde, who was briefed by the authorities, it was unclear whether the call had come from inside the container or if one of the people trapped inside had managed to call a relative and ask for help. The authorities had not specified which scenario had occurred.
According to the chief, the local police promptly alerted officers from the United States Border Patrol, and those authorities were able to halt the train around three miles east of Knippa, which is a town with less than 1,000 inhabitants. According to Mr. McLaughlin, the container was secured with a lock and “wired shut” when the agents of the Border Patrol arrived.
According to the mayor, by the time the police were able to force open the container, two of the individuals who were trapped inside had already passed away, and several of the other people were badly dehydrated.
According to Chief Rodriguez, five patients in serious condition were airlifted to hospitals in San Antonio, which is located around 60 miles to the east, while five other people were transported by ambulance to local hospitals. According to him, three other people needed medical attention at the site.
Images obtained from a local news outlet depicted a significant police presence in the rural border region, with local and state police personnel as well as agents from the United States Border Patrol descending on the area. Additionally, images depicted helicopters hovering over a goods train that was parked along Highway 90.
According to Chief Rodriguez, the investigation into the events that led up to the tragedy would be headed up by officials from the Department of Public Safety in the state of Texas.
The gruesome discovery comes several months after more than 50 migrants were found dead inside an overheated tractor-trailer in San Antonio. This is part of a troubling pattern in which human traffickers abandon migrants in deserted areas without regard for their safety, according to official statements. As Border Patrol officers pursue migrants who are attempting to elude the authorities in populous areas, the schools are often placed on lockdown as a safety precaution.
According to Chief Rodriguez, the deaths compounded the grief that the small community of Uvalde had been experiencing since the mass shooting that occurred in May of last year, when a teenage gunman burst into Robb Elementary School and killed 19 children and two teachers. The shooting was carried out by a lone gunman who was a student at the school.
According to the chief, “These folks, they placed themselves at such great peril by attempting to get over to the United States.” “It’s really a terrible tragedy that two individuals have to go because of this. It’s a tragedy that’s happened in a place that’s had its fair share of tragedies.
