Texas authorities are searching for dozens of allegedly illegal immigrants who fled from a refrigerated truck parked at a San Antonio gas station, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a press briefing Thursday.
Salazar said authorities received a call around 6:00 p.m. Thursday night that “undocumented immigrants [were] being smuggled into the country” in a truck and that they were “pleading” for air. Salazar said that those in the truck had “ripped off the gasket from one of the doors, trying to get some fresh air into the truck,” before they fled.
To avoid detection, the smugglers added foam to seal off openings in the truck, which created an “air tight enclosure” that endangered the travelers, Salazar added.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they saw people jumping out of the truck.
As other deputies arrived, “a large crowd of people came pouring out of the truck,” according to Salazar, who noted the group then fled into the nearby woods. (RELATED: Former Trump Adviser Says Biden Border Policy Is Surrendering Children To ‘Cartels, Coyotes And Smugglers’)
Salazar said that around 50 individuals have been detained and were determined to be in good health, but other individuals who fled the truck had not been located. The caller said 200 people may have been in the truck, he said.
“It’s sub-zero temperatures out here, just about, and it’s still snowing,” Salazar said during the briefing. “Our concern is people are going to be very much exposed to the elements, and quite frankly, we’re worried that some of these people may be in distress very, very soon here.”
Salazar said authorities believe that some of the smugglers could be with the individuals who fled to the woods. Salazar says the migrants appear to be from El Salvador and Guatemala.
Salazar said a similar incident happened last week.
Authorities received panic-filled 911 calls from people who were in a tanker trucker in Texas after having been illegally smuggled over, according to CNN. One of the callers told police that it was hard to breathe and police said it sounded like others were gasping for air in the background, according to CNN.
Elsewhere in Texas, around 200 illegal immigrants were apprehended at the border in Mission on Thursday night after being smuggled into the country, according to border officials.
Bexar County Sheriff’s Public Information officer Deputy Johnny C. Garcia told the Daily Caller that as of Friday no additional migrants have been apprehended.
“We are concerned for those remaining at large due to the cold weather throughout Bexar County,” Garcia said, noting residents should contact the sheriff’s office if they notice anyone suspicious enter their property.