The bodies of more than 40 people who appeared to have entered the United States illegally were found Monday during one of the worst spells of migrant deaths on the southern border in recent years.
The journey north for migrants entering the US from Mexico is typically dangerous and sometimes deadly. Smugglers often transport large numbers in trailers, vans or SUVs through remote areas in blistering weather. And in recent years, dozens of migrants have died in accidents while traveling north.
Here’s a partial list of some of the deadliest vehicular chases, some car accidents, or heat-related deaths involving smuggled migrants:
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In 2003, sheriffs discovered the bodies of 17 migrants, including a 7-year-old boy, in an overheated trailer truck in southern Texas city of Victoria. Officials found the trailer at a truck stop and found that the migrants inside had tried to punch air holes out so they could breathe. Another migrant later died in a hospital.
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In 2012, a Ford pickup carrying more than 20 undocumented migrants crashed into two trees, killing 15 people.
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Ten men died in San Antonio in 2017 after driving a tractor-trailer carrying as many as 200 migrants. For hours they had no water, fresh air or food, forcing nearly 30 other people to be hospitalized. The driver was sentenced to life in prison.
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A packed SUV carrying undocumented migrants crashed into rural South Texas in 2019 after being chased by police. Six people died. The vehicle had ended up in a ditch during rainy weather.
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In March 2021, 13 people were killed in a remote part of Southern California when a crammed Ford Expedition ran into the path of a tractor-trailer.
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Last August, at least 10 people were killed and 20 others injured after a van crashed in South Texas.
Miriam Jordan and Elizabeth Fawcett reporting contributed.