A U.S. attorney announced a federal indictment against 11 people in the smuggling deaths of six migrants found in a rail cargo container in Texas in May. The six people, from Honduras and Mexico, including a 14-year-old boy, were part of a human smuggling effort on a freight train, authorities said.
Investigation Details
The bodies were discovered by a Union Pacific employee in a rail yard shipping container in Laredo, Texas. The Webb County medical examiner suspected the deaths were caused by hyperthermia, or heat stroke. Smuggling on trains has long been a concern, partly because trains headed to the United States often slow or stop in Mexico before crossing the border, creating an opportunity for smugglers or immigrants to climb aboard or hide contraband on a train before it enters the U.S.
US Attorney for Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons stated, “It’s very hard to survive in an un-air conditioned, sealed container with … the temperature being what it was on that day.”
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
