Death toll rises to 50 inside tractor-trailer in suspected human traffic case in Texas

News 4 San Antonio identified the deceased as "undocumented migrants," but did not provide a source

Published: June 27, 2022 8:36pm

Updated: June 28, 2022 11:10am

The number of people found dead inside a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday rose to 50, according to news reports.

The body were found Monday, with an early death toll of 46.

News 4 San Antonio identified the deceased inside the 18-wheeler as "undocumented migrants," but did not provide a source for the victims' identities.

Border Patrol agents encountered nearly a quarter of a million migrants at the southern U.S. border in May.

Temperatures Monday in San Antonio exceeded 100 degrees, creating potentially deadly conditions for people inside of vehicles without air conditioning.

Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, a Republican, blamed President Joe Biden for the tragedy.

"These deaths are on Biden. They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law," he tweeted.