10 Dead in ‘Human Trafficking’ Truck in Texas, Driver Detained

The truck’s driver has been arrested and might face the death penalty if convicted.

James Mathew Bradley Jr (left) arrives at the federal courthouse for a hearing on Monday.

(Photo: AP)

A truck driver accused in a suspected human smuggling operation in which 10 people died and dozens more were hospitalised in Texas after being trapped inside a tractor-trailer in sweltering heat, will remain in custody, following an initial court appearance.

According to US Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Chestney, the accused, James Mathew Bradley Jr, 60, could face the death penalty if convicted, as per an AP report. Bradley is charged with transporting immigrants to the US illegally, resulting in the deaths of 10 people.

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Bradley was arrested on Sunday after authorities found eight men dead in the back of his truck parked outside a Walmart supermarket in San Antonio. Two more victims died later at hospitals, officials said, as per a Reuters report.

Another thirty people, many in critical condition suffering from heat stoke and exhaustion, were rescued from the truck, which lacked air conditioning and drinking water, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told Reuters.

Outside temperatures topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) on Sunday.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the people in the truck, whose nationalities were not immediately known, ranged from school-age children to adults in their 30s, according to a Reuters report.

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All were victims of ruthless human smugglers indifferent to the well-being of their fragile cargo...These people were helpless in the hands of their transporters. Imagine their suffering, trapped in a stifling trailer in 100-plus degree heat.

Richard Durbin, US Attorney to Reuters

Bradley, from Clearwater, Florida, was due to appear in court in San Antonio at 11 am local time on Monday, the US attorney's office said.

San Antonio is about 150 miles (240 km) north of the US-Mexico border.

Eight bodies were initially discovered after officials were led to the tractor-trailer by a man who asked a Walmart employee for water.

Other suspects fled the scene as police arrived on Sunday, McManus said.

Mexico’s government has asked the authorities for an exhaustive investigation, adding that its consul general in San Antonio was working to identify the victims’ nationalities.

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Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick expressed sympathy for the victims' families.

Patrick, a Republican, said, as quoted by Reuters:

I have been saying for years no one should have to die to come to America. We need a secure border and legal immigration reform so we control who enters our country and they can come here in dignity.

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US President Donald Trump, a Republican, has vowed to crack down on immigrants living in the country illegally. In Texas alone, federal immigration agents arrested 123 illegal immigrants with criminal records in an eight-day operation ending last week.

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(With inputs from AP and Reuters)

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