The shock over the death of 53 migrants in a truck does not stop

Pain and anger, are some of the reactions of dozens of people who have gathered this Wednesday in the Texan city of San Antonio, in the United States, to set up an altar in honor of migrants found dead in overheated truck not far from the Mexican border.

The death toll, as confirmed by authorities, has risen to 53 and among them there are two minors.

“This tragedy that happened is a very sad thing. I don’t know why this person [el conductor] did this, I don’t know if it was easy for him, I don’t know, but 53 people who have died is a lot”, were the questions of Loreta Escalante, who arrived at the place -without knowing any of the victims- to pay her respects because, as he told the voice of americaThey were just chasing a better life.

According to Escalante, San Antonio will now be for many “the place where many dreams ended”, since they came to the US to work and seek a better life, he lamented.

“These people come to the United States to work and get ahead, to make another life here, because there is nothing in Mexico right now. […]. That is why they come here to support their family,” said Escalante, who along with other people questions what happened and why the driver of the vehicle left them locked up.

The truck was discovered Monday in a desolate area near a highway in San Antonio, where temperatures that day reached 100 degrees, by a San Antonio municipal employee who heard a call for help.

Inside there were dozens of corpses and “conscious” people suffering from hyperthermia and acute dehydration, authorities reported.

For their part, Mexican authorities said Wednesday that at least 27 Mexicans were among the migrants who died.

Francisco Garduño, director of the National Institute of Migration of Mexico (INM), also pointed out that among the victims there are 14 Hondurans, seven Guatemalans, two Salvadorans and an unidentified person.

The official also explained that 16 migrants are still being treated in six local hospitals. Three of the injured are Mexican, and the nationalities of another 13 are still unknown, he added.

According to Mexican authorities, there were 67 migrants on board the truck.

coordinated work

The Secretary of Foreign Relations of Mexico, Marcelo Ebrard, reported that he had a conversation with the Secretary of National Security of the United States, Alejandro Mayorkas, and they agreed that both countries will work together to find and punish those responsible.

After the meeting, through a Press release The Mexican government reported that the US, Guatemala, and Mexico are working together to “support the injured and the families of the victims.”

In addition, the document indicates that they will cooperate “in the investigations led by the United States government.”

Mario Adolfo Búcaro, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, confirmed to the VOA that since “there are already three people captured” by US authorities.

The detainees are Mexicans Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez; in addition to the truck driver, identified as Homero Zamorano.

The director of Mexico’s INM revealed at a press conference that the trailer carrying the migrants passed through two US Customs and Border Protection checkpoints in Texas, where it was caught on security cameras.

The first was in the town of Encinal, 40 miles (65 km) north of Laredo, and the second in Cotulla, 30 miles further north.

According to the Mexican official, the trailer did not cross the US-Mexico border with the migrants inside.

“The migrants were already on US soil,” before getting into the truck, he said.

Between 6,000 and 6,800 trucks cross north through the Nuevo Laredo-Laredo international port of entry daily, according to Mexican customs data.

^{* Adaptation for the web by Lenny Castro, VOA journalist, from San Francisco, and information from the Reuters agency.}

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