MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2021) More than 100 illegal migrants from South America are at large in extreme cold in the United States' Texas after fleeing from a law enforcement check of the refrigerator truck which supposedly smuggled them in, Javier Salazar, the sheriff of the Bexar County, where the incident took place, said.
"Our concern is that people are going to be very much exposed to the elements, and we are worried that some of these people may be in distress very soon here, so we are hoping that we can get them in and get them some medical attention and get them the help that they need," Salazar said at a press conference.
According to the sheriff, officers were sent to the truck, parked at a gas station, after notified that it could be smuggling people, who, in turn, suffered air deficiency. Upon arrival, they were able to arrest 50 out of roughly 200 migrants from inside the truck, while the rest "ran into the woods" wearing only T-shirts and pants, Salazar said.
Snowfalls, sub zero temperatures and biting wind continue to test the United States' southwest and Texas, in particular, for a few weeks now. Earlier on Saturday, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokesperson Tiffany Young told Sputnik that nearly 15 million local residents were affected by the cold-caused disruption of water supply systems. Tens of thousands of households are still without electricity.
