At least 46 people were found dead inside a tractor-trailer in a presumed migrant smuggling attempt in South Texas on Monday.
Another 16 in the truck were taken to hospitals in San Antonio, police Chief William McManus confirmed.
He also said that three individuals were in custody, but that it was not known if they were ‘absolutely connected to this or not.’
The victims’ causes of death have not yet been confirmed, though extreme heat was the suggested cause. Officials said that the survivors had suffered from dehydration and heat stroke.
‘The patients that we saw were hot to the touch. They were suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion,’ fire chief Charles Hood said in a press briefing, ‘No signs of water in the vehicle. It was a refrigerated trailer, but there was no visible working AC unit on that rig.’
