Six people were found dead inside a cargo train carriage near the border city of Laredo, Texas, on Sunday, police said.
The discovery was made at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday by a Union Pacific employee during an inspection at the train yard in Laredo before the cargo continued northbound, Jose Espinoza, a spokesperson for the Laredo police department, told The Guardian and NBC News.
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An investigation into what caused the deaths of all six people inside the freight car and to identify them is ongoing, City of Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor D. Treviño said in a statement on Monday.
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“This tragedy strikes at the center of our humanity,” he said. “In our close-knit binational community, every loss is felt deeply. Our hearts are with the families and loved ones affected, and we thank our first responders for their efforts during this difficult time,” he continued.
Temperatures were above 90°F (32 °C) at the time the bodies were discovered, The Guardian reported, though it is unclear if the heat was a contributing factor to the deaths, the outlet added.
Police have yet to identify the names, ages, or nationalities of the victims, CNN’s local affiliate KGNS reported.
“Regarding their immigration status, that would be with the medical examiner’s office or with Border Patrol,” Espinoza said to U.S. media.
“It’s a very unfortunate event. It was too many lives that were lost,” he told, told CNN.
Global News reached out to the Laredo Police but did not receive a response.
Union Pacific is an integrated freight rail network serving much of the U.S., including major Mexico gateways, its website says.
The company said in a statement to Global News that it was “saddened by this incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate.”
Laredo is a significant trading hub and accounts for roughly 62 per cent of Texas’ land port trade, which equates to about $340 billion, according to data from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
Based on data from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), trespasser-related fatalities are the leading cause of death on U.S. railroads, with more than 500 occurring every year. It is not clear if the deaths in Laredo were suicides or if the people on board were trespassers.
Last year, there were five fatalities on Texas railroads, two of which were on Union Pacific railroads, according to FRA data.
I jumped the freights all over western Canada in 1970.thats when everyone was hitchhiking to van.