SAN ANTONIO — The bodies of more than 40 people suspected of being migrants were found dead Monday in and around a tractor-trailer abandoned on the outskirts of San Antonio, according to two people who were aware of the police’s response.
More than 12 others were found alive and taken to local hospitals, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of what appeared to be one of the worst episodes of migrant death in recent years.
All victims would have entered the United States illegally.
San Antonio police officers were looking for the driver of the vehicle, who appeared to have left it behind some time before it was discovered in a remote area near railroad tracks and car salvage yards, the people said.
State officials in Texas, already managing record levels of migrant crossings from Mexico, are bracing for another wave this spring and summer.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the people had died, but San Antonio and other Texas cities experienced heat at or near record levels in June. The Department of Homeland Security was expected to take over the investigation soon.
A spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection said a team from Homeland Security Investigations had arrived but could not provide further details.
Elizabeth Fawcett reporting contributed.