The driver of the crashed truck in Texas on Wednesday with 30 immigrants on board tried to make a right turn but ended up crashing into a signpost for allegedly driving too fast, authorities explained Thursday.
In the vehicle were 27 men and 3 women who, according to authorities, were possibly undocumented immigrants, although their identities have not yet been revealed.
The driver and 9 other people lost their lives in the accident, all men except one woman.
The victims were six Hondurans, three Mexicans and one Guatemalan, Brooks County Sheriff Benny Martínez explained to Noticias Telemundo.
"Preliminary investigation indicates that the driver of the Ford passenger van was traveling northbound on US 281 in the outside lane when, according to a witness, the driver attempted to turn right at an unsafe speed and veered off the road. , hitting a metal utility pole and the stop sign, "the Corpus Christi Department of Public Safety explained in a statement.
[The truck with 25 people that crashed in California crossed a breach in the wall, according to the Border Patrol]
The images captured at the scene showed the vehicle practically split in two, with several people trapped under the scrap metal while they were rescued by emergency teams.
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The fatalities lost their lives at the scene of the accident.
In addition, 20 injured were transferred to hospitals and medical centers in the area, such as the McAllen Medical Center, the Edinburgh Regional Hospital or the Corpus Christi Spohn Shoreline.
Some were taken by helicopter due to its gravity.
The accident occurred around four in the afternoon (local time) on Interstate 281 northbound, near Encino.
This town of 140 inhabitants is located about two miles (three kilometers) from the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint.
Among the objects found in the vicinity of the accident were belongings that migrants usually carry on their route north, such as water, food and clothing for the trip, explained Christopher Olivares, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.
The Encino, Texas, crash site of a pickup truck carrying 25 people believed to be migrants. Codi via Twitter
This accident occurs less than five months after the collision in which eight migrants of the 10 who were traveling in a van near the border city of Del Rio, Texas, crashed when they were being pursued by the police.
In yesterday's accident, the authorities have highlighted that the truck was not being followed by any official vehicle.
In early March, another truck crashed in California's Imperial Valley, killing 13 of the 25 migrants on board.
The immigration authorities have warned on multiple occasions of the dangers of traveling in vehicles that exceed their capacity - a common practice of coyotes - because they circulate with greater instability and there are no seat belts for everyone, increasing the risk in the event of an accident.
