(CNN Spanish) -
Authorities in Texas are investigating a traffic accident this Friday that left at least 4 undocumented migrants dead and another 11 injured, five of them seriously, Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carrillo told CNN by telephone.
Carrillo said that the incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. local time on Texas State Highway 54, about 38 kilometers north of Van Horn, in the west of the state, when a van with 16 people on board he had an accident.
According to the sheriff, it was one of the survivors who called 911 and reported the accident.
"They were not being pursued by law enforcement officers," Carrillo told CNN, adding that the speeding "could have played a role" and that the truck "lost control and overturned several times."
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), which is investigating the accident, told CNN that four people were killed in the collision and that those on board were undocumented immigrants from Guatemala.
Carrillo said that 11 of the survivors were transferred to hospitals in the area, that five of them were in serious condition and were taken by helicopter to El Paso.
He added that one more, the driver, fled the scene.
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DPS added that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be in charge of investigating the alleged irregular crossing of those involved in the accident.
The Border Patrol told CNN on Friday that none of its agents were involved in the incident.
Carrillo indicated that he had interviewed the survivors who were in hospitals in the area, most with minor injuries, and that they had told him they were from Guatemala.
He added that he is in contact with the authorities of the Central American country to identify the victims and support others.
The Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNN on Friday that it will be its consulate in Del Río, Texas, which will be responsible for following up on the accident.
The mishap near Van Horn comes days after the Border Patrol confirmed this month that fiscal year 2021 saw the largest record of arrests of undocumented immigrants on the US-Mexico border in history, with 1,659,206 arrests. .
Michelle Mendoza contributed to this report