Eight people were found dead Saturday evening in an 18-wheeler parked behind a Walmart in San-Antonio, Texas.
Along with 30 others, many of whom were suffering from heat stroke and dehydration stemming from the unrelenting Texas summer heat, eight bodies were found in the tractor-trailer, Reuters reports. The deceased are believed to be illegal immigrants that were being smuggled to the U.S.
Twenty of the other passengers are in serious or critical condition after spending unknown hours in the back of the truck without air conditioning or proper ventilation.
“They were very hot to the touch. So these people were in this trailer without any signs of any type of water,” San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told reporters. “It was a mass casualty situation for us.”
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The victims ranged in age from children to adults in their thirties.
The driver was arrested at the scene in what Texas authorities are calling a horrendous case of human trafficking. Authorities have not released the driver’s name or other identifiers at this point.
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