Over 40 illegal immigrants were discovered dead inside of an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer stopped on the southwest side of San Antonio, Texas, as authorities rushed another 16 migrants to nearby hospitals, reported local media outlets.
Captured video from News 4 San Antonio highlights police and fire trucks all around the 9600 block of Quintana Rd., next to New Laredo highway on the southwest side.
As reported by KSAT News, a large number of ambulances were seen going in and out of the area of the scene.
“There are about 46 migrants dead in San Antonio,” stated Archdiocese of San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo on social media.
“Our prayers raised up to you O Lord for their souls,” he continued. “Lord have mercy on them. They hoped for a better life. Lord after Uvalde and now this, help us! We need you! So many people suffering. God, God, God.”
One spokesperson for the police department in San Antonio stated that the authorities will be planning to hold a press conference at a later time concerning this critical incident. The authorities are slated to live stream the entire event via the Facebook page for the department. No exact time was given for this live stream by the spokesperson.
This incident take place just a short 24 hours after the police forces in San Antonio managed to break up a human smuggling operation centered at a local home in which they discovered 14 illegal immigrants were found all from the ages of 19 to 33.
Authorities stated to local media outlets that officers got a call late Sunday evening about a person being held inside the suspected house at gunpoint.
“It appears that they had been part of a potential human smuggling operation and the best we can determine; they had been there for perhaps a couple of days,” stated the Deputy Chief of the SAPD, Eric Hightower, as reported by News 4 San Antonio. “They had not been fed or cared for. They had not been given water or food or anything like that and they were obviously trying to get some help.”
Also as reported by local media outlets, Officers, who had been part of the team who carried out the execution of the search warrant on the suspected hosue, say they were given medical treatment before being given over to Homeland Security Investigations.