Four people are dead and three were critically injured on Thursday after a driver suspected of human smuggling crashed into a truck, the Texas Department of Safety said in a tweet.
The incident took place on Interstate 35 in Encinal, Texas, according to the Texas DPS.
“The driver suspected of human smuggling evaded law enforcement & crashed into a commercial vehicle,” Texas DPS tweeted on Thursday.
LAREDO – Troopers are investigating a fatality crash on IH35 in Encinal, TX. Currently, 4 are confirmed deceased & 3 are critical. The driver suspected of human smuggling evaded law enforcement & crashed into a commercial vehicle. Updates will provided once they become available. pic.twitter.com/0qBuRsDnIS
— TxDPS – South Texas Region (@TxDPSSouth) June 30, 2022
A photo of the scene posted by the agency shows a demolished white Jeep smashed up against the back of a truck with the airbags deployed, a destroyed windshield and the passenger side doors removed.
The fatal crash is the second deadly human smuggling event his week in Texas, after San Antonio police officers and Homeland Security authorities discovered 64 migrants suspected of entering the United States illegally in the back of a tractor-trailer on Monday.
As of Wednesday, the Bexar County Medical Examiner confirmed 53 migrants died as a result of being abandoned in the truck without air conditioning or water.
A dozen other migrants — including children — were treated for heat-related injuries.