Trailer deaths in San Antonio: 46 immigrants found dead inside a semi-truck, authorities say

Officials said they hoped those transferred for treatment would recover. Three of the immigrants who were found have been taken to Methodist Metropolitan Hospital and are in stable condition, according to a Methodist Healthcare spokesperson.

McManus said three people are in police custody, but added that it was unclear if they were connected to the situation.

San Antonio police have reported an “alleged human smuggling incident” to the US Department of Homeland Security’s investigative unit and are leading the investigation, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson said Monday.

Hood said the 60 firefighters who were at the site were undergoing a serious accident to debrief the tension.

“We’re not supposed to open a truck and see piles of bodies in it. None of us come to work imagining that,” the fire chief said.

“It’s tragic,” Mayor Nirenberg said Monday. “There are, as we know, 46 people who are no longer with us, who have families, who are likely to try to find a better life. And we have 16 people who are fighting for their lives in the hospital.”

The Consul General of Mexico in San Antonio, said on social media, that assistance will be provided to any and all Mexican citizens. At least two of the 16 survivors have been identified as Guatemalans, according to the Mexican foreign minister citing the consul.

The operation builds on previous initiatives to go after the smugglers that migrants often rely on as they make their way to the border. Last spring, the Department of Homeland Security also announced an effort to crack down on criminal smuggling organizations, along with federal partners.