Texas: 46 Migrants Found Dead In The Truck.

A tractor-trailer rig containing suspected migrants were found on a remote back road in southwest San Antonio on Monday, killing 46 people and injuring 16.

The city worker at the scene was alerted to the situation by a cry for help shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, said Police Chief William McManus. Officers arrived to find a body on the ground outside the trailer and a partially opened gate to the trailer, he said.

Fire Chief Charles Hood said of the 16 taken to hospitals with heat-related illnesses, 12 were adults, and 4 were children. He said the patients were hot to the touch and dehydrated, and no water was found in the trailer.

McManus said 3 people were taken into custody, but it was unclear if they were connected with human trafficking.

According to an anonymous official, the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the information had not been released to the public, the trailer was used in a migrant smuggling attempt in South Texas.

It may be the deadliest tragedy among thousands who have died attempting to cross the US border from Mexico in recent decades.

Crossing became exponentially more difficult after the 2001 terror attacks in the US; migrants were led through more dangerous terrain and paid thousands of dollars more.

Heat poses a danger, particularly when vehicle temperatures can rise severely. Weather in the San Antonio area was mainly cloudy Monday, but temperatures approached 100 degrees.