At least 40 men and 13 women, believed to be migrants crossing into the US from Mexico, died after being found near and in an overheated truck in a remote area in San Antonio, Texas, on June 27. Yenifer Yulisa Cardona Tomás, a 20-year-old woman from Guatemala City, told the AP that she was among a group of people who boarded the 18-wheeler truck on the Texas side of the Mexico border. She told the AP the driver confiscated everyone’s cellphones before they got on, and also covered the floor of the truck with powdered chicken bouillon to throw off any dogs at security checkpoints. Cardona Tomás said it was already scorching hot when they boarded the truck and that she and a friend decided to sit closer to the door where it would be cooler. The overcrowding and heat worsened as the truck continued its journey and made additional stops to pick up more migrants, she said. “The people were yelling, some cried. Mostly women were calling for it to stop and to open the doors because it was hot, that they couldn’t breathe,” she told the AP. “People asked for water, some had run out, others carried some,” she said. Cardona Tomás said there was no way to keep track of time and she eventually passed out. The 20-year-old made it out alive but is currently being treated at Methodist Hospital Metropolitan in San Antonio. Her friend also survived, she said. The man suspected of driving the truck, identified as 45-year-old Homero Zamorano Jr., was arrested and charged with alien smuggling resulting in death, the Department of Justice said. Another man, who was in contact with Zamorano at the time, was also charged in connection with the incident. Surveillance cameras previously captured Zamorano driving the truck through a security checkpoint with no issues earlier on June 27, officials said.
