US probes ‘horrifying and heartbreaking’ deaths of 50 migrants found in sweltering lorry
- President Biden blamed smugglers and said the grim incident underscored need to shut down ‘the multibillion-dollar criminal smuggling industry preying on migrants’
- It was the most deadly single incident involving migrants along the southern border, and drew more attention to the risks that hundreds of thousands of people face
US authorities opened a criminal investigation on Tuesday after 50 migrants packed into a stifling lorry died in Texas, with President Joe Biden blaming professional smugglers for the tragedy.
A spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the toll had risen overnight after the articulated lorry was discovered on Monday abandoned on an isolated road near the city of San Antonio.
Sixteen people, including four children, were taken to hospital suffering from extreme dehydration. Most of the fatalities were Mexican, and US media said some victims died in hospital.
Biden said the grim incident underscored the need to shut down “the multibillion-dollar criminal smuggling industry preying on migrants.”
“The tragic loss of life in San Antonio, Texas that took place yesterday is horrifying and heartbreaking,” he said in a statement.
It was the most deadly single incident involving migrants along the southern border in memory, and drew more attention to the risks that hundreds of thousands of people face seeking to enter the United States from Mexico without permission.