Six people were found dead in the boxcar of a freight train near a railroad yard in Laredo, Texas, on Sunday, officials said.
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Police said they received a call from a Union Pacific employee at around 3 p.m. local time to report a trailer boxcar with multiple casualties found inside.
The age of the victim and the place of departure of the train were not immediately released. Laredo Police Department Investigator Jose Baeza said these questions are “at the heart of an ongoing and fluid investigation.”
The Webb County Coroner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death, police said.
Baeza said the rail yard is many miles long.
“Imagine a train loading dock at a port,” he said in a phone interview. “This is where a lot of the rail cars are loaded and unloaded.”
A Union Pacific spokesperson said in a statement that the company “regrets this incident” and is “working closely with law enforcement in the investigation.”
Bordering Mexico, Laredo is home to one of Texas’ largest ports of entry, facilitating commercial trade. As of 2024, Port Laredo will account for 62% of the state’s land port trade, valued at about $340 billion, according to data collected by the Texas Office of the Public Accountant.
The high temperature in Laredo on Sunday reached 97 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
