Fifty-one migrants died after being stuck inside a sweltering semi-trailer in San Antonio, U.S. and Mexican officials said on Tuesday, in one of the deadliest human trafficking incidents in recent history, Trend reports citing Reuters.
The deceased migrants, 39 men and 12 women, were discovered on the outskirts of the Texas city on Monday, where temperatures swelled to a high of 103 Fahrenheit (39.4 Celsius).
Authorities responded to a remote area in the southern part of the city and found the truck parked next to railroad tracks. Bodies were strewn over a couple of blocks after it is believed that the back door of the trailer was opened, a local law enforcement official told Reuters on Tuesday.
Local and U.S. authorities said there were no signs of water and no visible working air conditioning inside the truck. Officials said there were "stacks of bodies" and that some of the migrants were hot to the touch.
"It's unspeakable," San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said on MSNBC, noting that his community depends on migrants while there is a labor shortage. "It's a tragedy beyond explanation."
U.S. President Joe Biden said in a Tuesday statement that the incident was "horrifying and heartbreaking."