Six deceased individuals were found in a train car near the border town of Laredo, Texas, on Sunday afternoon, according to local police.
Fire and EMS workers in Laredo pulled a half-dozen bodies from inside a Union Pacific Railroad car after a railroad employee called emergency responders to report possible deceased inside a car while the train was stopped at a train yard roughly 13 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, Laredo Police spokesman Jose Espinoza told the Washington Examiner on Monday.
It is unclear if the train was headed northbound or southbound, as well as if the deceased died as a result of dehydration and suffocation, given that temperatures hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday. Police also would not comment on whether the incident was the result of an attempted smuggling effort or if foul play was suspected.
“As the investigation continues into the identities of the individuals found inside a train boxcar in Laredo, this tragedy strikes at the center of our humanity,” Laredo Mayor Victor Trevino said in a statement Monday. “In our close-knit binational community, every loss is felt deeply.”
Police have not stated whether the incident involved an illegal immigration attempt.
The county medical examiner is in the process of determining the cause of death, while local and federal law enforcement are investigating the incident and identities of the deceased.
“Please contact The Laredo Police Department,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection wrote in an email Monday, later stating to contact ICE. “The incident remains under investigation by Laredo Police Department and Homeland Security Investigation and Texas Rangers.”
Laredo is a human smuggling corridor that historically has been used by cartels to move migrants who do not want to surrender to Border Patrol agents. Smugglers have used tractor trailers and trains for years to move people and drugs over the border and into the United States.
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In 2022, 53 people who were smuggled into the country through Laredo died after overheating in an abandoned tractor trailer that was found in San Antonio, Texas.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.