The toll of the tragedy of migrants found dead in an overheated truck in San Antonio, Texas, has risen to 53 victims, the US immigration services said on Wednesday (June 29th).
Eleven other people were still hospitalized in the region, they added without specifying their state of health.
A previous report given on Tuesday reported 51 dead, 39 men and 12 women.
Of the 53 victims, 27 were from Mexico, 14 from Honduras, seven from Guatemala and two from El Salvador, said Francisco Garduno, head of Mexico's National Institute of Migration.
Three people have yet to be identified.
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The gruesome discovery dates back to Monday night, when a San Antonio city worker heard a call for help near a road where he was working, and cracked open the truck's back door.
The emergency services had first taken out 46 corpses and sixteen
“conscious”
people , including four minors, who were transferred to nearby hospitals.
After a day marked by temperatures close to 40 degrees, they suffered from hyperthermia and acute dehydration.
“Under the influence of methamphetamine”
Federal police arrested two men on Tuesday at an address linked to the truck's license plate, according to court documents.
Juan Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez, two Mexican nationals whose tourist visas had expired, are notably being prosecuted for carrying a prohibited weapon.
A third person, suspected of driving the truck, was also arrested near where the vehicle was parked while
"high on methamphetamine"
according to the
San Antonio Express-News
, citing sources. policewomen.
He would also have
"tried to pass himself off as one of the survivors
," claimed Francisco Garduno.
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After this tragedy, Mexico, the United States, Honduras and Guatemala will coordinate their efforts
"of cooperation and support"
in the investigation carried out by the American authorities, the Mexican Embassy in the United States announced on Wednesday. in a joint statement.
The four countries also announced the creation of an
“immediate action group”
to
“exchange information and work in a coordinated manner to dismantle human trafficking networks”
.
US President Joe Biden called on Tuesday to strengthen the fight against “a criminal industry that brews several billion dollars”.
