Texas Migrant Deaths: Truck Driver ‘unaware Air Conditioner had Stopped Working’

Mr Zamorano was found hiding in bushes. Mexican officials say he initially tried to pass himself off as one of the survivors.

According to federal court documents, a confidential government informant working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Texas police told officials that Mr Zamorano and Mr Martínez had spoken after the deaths were reported.

Mr Martínez allegedly said: “The driver was unaware the air conditioning unit stopped working and was the reason why the individuals died.”

The documents add that the informant and Mr Martínez were standing within several metres of each other when the conversation took place.

Both suspects face the death penalty if found guilty of smuggling and conspiracy charges.

Two other men accused of being involved, Juan Claudio D’Luna-Méndez and Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao, have been charged with firearms possession and with being in the US illegally. Both are Mexican citizens.

The victims include 27 Mexican citizens, as well as 14 Hondurans, seven Guatemalans and two Salvadorans.

However, Mexican authorities say a total of 67 migrants were inside the lorry, while prosecutors in San Antonio have put the number at 64.

On Friday, the Bexar County medical examiner’s office said it had “conclusively identified” six of the 53 victims from Monday’s incident.

In addition, 42 “potential identifications” have been made. Five remain unidentified.

Also on Friday, the Bexar County Sheriff’s office began investigating an apparently abandoned 18-wheel truck found in a residential area just a few miles north of where the first vehicle was found.

About 13 migrants were found in the most recent truck, officials tell CBS News.

“Preliminarily, it appears no individuals have suffered any major injuries,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook, adding that more details would be released once they were available.

People-smuggling is a major industry along the US-Mexico border.

In May, a record 239,000 undocumented migrants were detained crossing into the country from Mexico.

Mass deaths of this kind have been uncovered on a number of occasions around the world in recent times. Among the worst cases are: