ROASTED ALIVE
9 dead, 18 critical in smuggle truck
A massive rig crammed with up to 100 illegal immigrants turned into a coffin in a Walmart parking lot in Texas over the weekend.
Eight men’s bodies were pulled from the abandoned truck in San Antonio early on Sunday after a day of 100-degree-plus temperatures, and another victim of the “smuggling venture gone horribly wrong’’ died at a hospital hours later, authorities said.
Another 18 people who were in the truck remain in “extremely severe’’ condition — and are likely to suffer permanent brain damage, officials said.
“We’re looking at a humantrafficking crime here,” said San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.
The inhumane situation came to light only after a person escaped the rig and begged a Walmart worker for water late Saturday, officials said.
It was unclear how long the vehicle had been parked in the lot, but authorities said they believe the temperature inside the truck had reached an unbearable 130 degrees.
The rig was a refrigerator truck, but its air conditioning wasn’t working, authorities said.
“They were very hot to the touch,” San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said of the 38 people — including two 15- year-olds — discovered inside the vehicle.
Interviews with survivors indicate that there were as many as 100 people in the truck at one point — all in their 20s and 30s except for the teens, authorities said. The unaccounted-for are believed to have fled.
The nine people who died likely perished from exposure, asphyxiation and dehydration, according to a police statement, which added that autopsies are pending.
Survivors were receiving treatment at area hospitals.
It appeared that the undocumented aliens were coming from Mexico, which is about 150 miles south of the city, authorities said. They likely crossed the border by foot and were then loaded into the truck to be taken farther north, officials said.
It wasn’t clear where the rig was headed.
The driver of the truck was taken into custody, McManus said. He was not licensed to operate in Texas and now faces state and federal charges.
San Antonio US Attorney Richard Durbin Jr. blasted those responsible as “ruthless human smugglers indifferent to the well-being of their fragile cargo.
“Imagine [the victims’] suffering, trapped in a stifling trailer in 100-plus-degree heat,’’ Durbin said.