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Toll now at 53 in San Antonio as families wait for answers

At least 27 of the victims were from Mexico
Migrant Deaths
Migrant Deaths
Posted at 10:27 AM, Jun 29, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-29 20:36:48-04

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A Texas official says two more migrants from the San Antonio trailer tragedy have died, raising the death count to 53.

A Mexican government official says most of the migrants found dead after being abandoned in a truck in the sweltering Texas heat were from Mexico.

The head of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute said Wednesday that 27 of the victims were from Mexico, 14 were from Honduras, seven were from Guatemala and two were from El Salvador.

Efforts to identify the dead are being complicated by a lack of identification documents, the need to share fingerprint data across borders and even stolen IDs.

President Joe Biden said initial reports suggest the tragedy was caused by smugglers and human traffickers.

"Our prayers are with those who lost their lives, their loved ones, as well as those still fighting for their lives," Biden said.

Biden added that the Department of Homeland Security is leading the investigation.