At Least 94 Migrants Escape 'Suffocating' Truck Abandoned on Mexico Highway
Felix Marquez/AP/Shutterstock A cargo truck that was intercepted carrying migrants on a highway in Veracruz state, Mexico in Nov. 2021
At least 94 migrants broke their way out of a "suffocating" freight trailer abandoned on a Mexican highway, local authorities said Thursday.
In an echo of the tragic deaths of 53 men and women in San Antonio, Texas in June, the migrants were left inside the trailer with little room to move or breathe after it was abandoned on a highway in the state of Veracruz, the Associated Press reported Friday.
The people inside were then forced to break holes in the truck to escape, some reportedly through the roof, the AP added citing Carlos Enrique Escalante, the head of the migrant attention office in Veracruz.
"They broke through the roof of the trailer because they were suffocating and since there was a gas station nearby, the employees there helped them escape," Jose Dominguez, director of civil protection in Oluta, told Reuters Thursday.
The vehicle was discovered on Wednesday, the AP said. An official who did not want to be identified told Reuters that he thought the person transporting the migrants lacked experience as the vehicle was abandoned before an inspection point.
RELATED: Body of Boy, 13, Who Died from Dehydration in Texas Migrant Truck Tragedy Returned to Guatemala
Eric Gay/AP/Shutterstock Police block the scene where a truck with multiple dead bodies was discovered in San Antonio, Texas
While some of the migrants involved were injured from the escape, after jumping from the roof, the AP said none were considered life-threatening or consisted of broken bones. The BBC added that according to paramedics, one man, who was unconscious, was taken to the hospital.
It is expected that there were many more people inside the vehicle, the AP noted, though they fled the scene after exiting. According to Reuters, about 400 migrants were being transported in the truck, per authorities in the area.
According to Dominguez, per Reuters, 32 of the migrants identified in the breakout were from Guatemala, while others came from Honduras, Ecuador, India, El Salvador and Nepal.
Guatemala's foreign ministry released a different number on Thursday saying there were 89 people from Guatemala discovered — 55 adults and one minor, Reuters said.
The AP stated that all 94 migrants were turned over to immigration authorities.
RELATED: At Least 11 Dead, 38 Rescued After Boat Carrying Suspected Migrants Capsizes Near Puerto Rico
Eric Gay/AP/Shutterstock Police block the scene where a truck with multiple dead bodies was discovered in San Antonio, Texas
In June, 46 men and women were found dead in an 18-wheeler in southwest San Antonio, Texas. They are all believed to have been undocumented migrants.
San Antonio Police Chief William P. McManus said in a live press conference via Facebook that authorities received the first call at 5:50 p.m. local time. An employee who worked at a nearby building "heard a cry for help" and "came out to investigate." Upon approaching the truck, he saw the door was "partially open" and soon found the 46 dead individuals inside.
An additional 16 people (12 adults and four children) were rushed to nearby hospitals in varying conditions after multiple police, fire trucks and ambulances responded to the scene at the 9600 block of Quintana Road.
Just days later the death toll increased to 53, while 11 individuals remained hospitalized, a spokesperson for U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told PEOPLE.
