Six Found Dead in Boxcar at Laredo Rail Yard

LAREDO, TX — Six people were found dead Sunday inside a stopped boxcar at a Union Pacific rail yard in Laredo, authorities reported. 

A Union Pacific employee discovered the bodies about 2:30 p.m. local time while inspecting the train before it continued north, a Laredo police spokesperson said. No one was found alive inside the car on an afternoon when temperatures climbed above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

“It’s a very unfortunate event. It was too many lives that were lost,” Jose Espinoza, the department’s public information officer, told CNN. He said authorities were working to determine the cause of death. The ages and immigration status of the deceased were not immediately known, and the investigation remained in its preliminary stages. 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it was aware of the incident and referred questions to the Laredo police department and Texas Rangers. 

Union Pacific, one of the nation’s largest rail operators, said it was cooperating with authorities.

“Union Pacific is saddened by this incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate,” Daryl Bjoraas, a company spokesperson, said in a statement. 

Sunday’s discovery had parallels to a 2024 episode in which 20 migrants locked inside a train compartment in Laredo were rescued in a dehydrated state by CBP officers. 

Laredo is the busiest U.S. port for international trade, with an average of 12 trains per day entering from Mexico and carrying nearly 1,500 loaded containers, according to the Laredo Morning Times. 

In 2022, 53 migrants were found suffocated to death inside a locked tractor-trailer in Laredo.