Six bodies were discovered inside a Union Pacific boxcar at a Texas railyard on Sunday afternoon, prompting an active investigation by authorities in Laredo.
The Laredo Police Department said officers were called to the scene shortly after 2:30pm near mile marker 13 along 12100 Jim Young Way, where several deceased people were found inside a cargo train car.
Officials have confirmed six people died in the sweltering railcar. It is now known how long they had been trapped inside, reports News4SA.
Temperatures in the area reached the upper 90s on Sunday as investigators worked at the scene. Police said the investigation remains ongoing.
The deaths were confirmed police by Investigator Joe E. Baeza with Laredo Police.
Investigators have not yet said whether heat exposure played a role in the deaths, but the conditions inside the sealed metal boxcar would have become dangerously hot within a short period of time.
By late afternoon, the Laredo Police Department confirmed the investigation remained active as officers and emergency personnel continued processing the scene.
Union Pacific released a statement about the incident: ‘Union Pacific is saddened by this incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate.’
Union Pacific operates a major freight corridor through Laredo, one of the nation’s most critical trade gateways between the United States and Mexico.
Police in Laredo are investigating after multiple bodies were discovered inside a Union Pacific boxcar on Sunday turning what was supposed to be a routine freight stop into a horrifying scene (file photo)
By late afternoon, the Laredo Police Department confirmed the investigation remained active as officers and emergency personnel continued processing the scene (file photo)
Thousands of railcars carrying automobiles, industrial equipment, consumer goods and agricultural products move through the region each week.
The nearby Missouri Pacific railyard, long tied to the area’s rail history, has played a major role in freight movement through South Texas for decades.
The rail system around Laredo has become one of the busiest cargo hubs in North America because of the city’s strategic position along the border and its connection to Mexican rail lines.
Investigators have not said whether the victims were migrants. Authorities also have not explained how the bodies were discovered.
