LAREDO, Texas: Six people were found dead inside a cargo train boxcar in southern Texas near the US-Mexico border, authorities confirmed on Sunday, prompting an extensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
According to the Laredo Police Department, the bodies were discovered during a routine inspection at a Union Pacific rail yard located near mile marker 13 off Interstate 35 in Laredo, a city situated close to the Mexican border.
Police said officers responded to a call from a Union Pacific employee at approximately 3:00pm local time after several individuals were found inside a stationary boxcar.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene and confirmed that all six individuals were dead. No survivors were found inside the rail car.
Authorities have not yet identified the victims, nor have they disclosed their ages or nationalities. Investigators also declined to confirm where the train originated or where it was headed at the time of the discovery.
According to media reports, Laredo police spokesperson Joe Baeza described the case as being in its early stages, saying investigators were still working to determine the exact cause and manner of death.
“At this point, it is a very early phase of the investigation. There is not a lot to reveal right now because we have just begun the investigation,” Baeza told local media.
He added that autopsies would likely be conducted to establish how the victims died before investigators proceed with further aspects of the inquiry.
Officials have not confirmed whether the deceased were migrants, although the discovery has drawn attention because of the area’s proximity to the US-Mexico border and previous incidents involving migrants travelling in dangerous conditions aboard freight trains and vehicles.
Temperatures in the Laredo area reportedly climbed to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) on Sunday, raising concerns that extreme heat inside the enclosed boxcar may have contributed to the deaths.
The incident recalls several previous migrant tragedies in Texas. In 2023, two migrants died after becoming trapped inside a train in the state.
A year earlier, 53 migrants lost their lives after being abandoned inside a sweltering tractor-trailer on a remote Texas road in one of the deadliest human smuggling cases in recent US history.
Authorities said the latest case remains an active and ongoing investigation, and further details will be released once autopsy results and additional evidence become available.
