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Location of the truck trailer on the outskirts of San Antonio
Photo: Eric Gay / dpa
There are new insights into the tragedy of dead migrants in the US state of Texas.
The driver is said to have initially pretended to be a survivor.
This was announced by the head of the Mexican migration authority, Francisco Garduño, on Wednesday in Mexico City.
The driver has since been identified.
According to local police, a worker discovered the bodies Monday night after hearing a call for help from the trailer.
At least 16 survivors were dehydrated and taken to a hospital with heat exhaustion.
Fake number plate and logos
The truck in which the people were later found passed two CBP checkpoints on Monday, according to Mexican authorities.
The license plates of the truck as well as the logo of a Texas company were fake.
The driver and two other suspects from Mexico have been arrested.
The foreign ministers of Mexico and Guatemala announced that their countries would participate in the investigation.
The death toll has now risen to 53 after more people died in hospital.
This was announced by the governor of the US state, Greg Abbott, on Wednesday.
The Republican spoke of the “deadliest case of migrant smuggling on American soil”.
Around half of the victims come from Mexico, others from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Abbott blamed Democratic President Joe Biden.
Biden must make it clear that nobody can enter the country illegally, so that migrants do not even set off.
In addition, the US border protection agency must be properly equipped.
The truck was not examined because there were not enough resources to check all trucks.
According to the fire department of the Texan city, the trailer, which was parked in the heat of around 40 degrees on the outskirts of San Antonio, apparently had neither a working air conditioning system nor water.
The victims were allegedly smuggled into the United States, San Antonio is only about 250 kilometers from the Mexican border.
kfr/dpa/Reuters
