11 indicted in smuggling deaths of 6 migrants in rail cargo container in Texas
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A U.S. attorney announced a federal indictment on Friday against 11 people in the smuggling deaths of six migrants found in a rail cargo container in Texas in May.
The six people were found dead in a rail yard shipping container in Laredo, Texas in May. They were from Honduras and Mexico and included a 14-year-old boy, all part of a human smuggling effort on a freight train, authorities said.
The bodies were discovered by a Union Pacific employee. 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. That creates an opportunity for smugglers or immigrants to climb aboard or hide drugs or other contraband on a train before it enters the U.S.
“It’s very hard to survive in an un-air conditioned, sealed container with ... the temperature being what it was on that day,” US Attorney for Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons said.
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