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Truck driver appears in court in Texas after death toll from Walmart car park tragedy reaches ten

A TRUCK driver has arrived at a US federal court, accused in a suspected human smuggling operation in which 10 people died and dozens more were hospitalised.

James Mathew Bradley Jr, 60, was arrested on Sunday after authorities found eight men dead in the back of his truck parked outside a Walmart supermarket in San Antonio.

Two more victims died later at hospitals, officials said.

James Mathew Bradley Jr, left, arrives at the federal courthouse for a hearing on Monday in San Antonio. Picture: Eric Gay/AP
James Mathew Bradley Jr, left, arrives at the federal courthouse for a hearing on Monday in San Antonio. Picture: Eric Gay/APSource:AP

Another thirty people, many in critical condition suffering from heat stoke and exhaustion, were rescued from the truck, which lacked air conditioning and drinking water, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said.

Outside temperatures topped 37.8C on Sunday. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the people in the truck, whose nationalities were not immediately known, ranged from school-age children to adults in their 30s.

San Antonio police officers investigate the scene where eight people were found dead in a semi-trailer outside a Walmart store. Picture: Eric Gay/AP
San Antonio police officers investigate the scene where eight people were found dead in a semi-trailer outside a Walmart store. Picture: Eric Gay/APSource:AP

“All were victims of ruthless human smugglers indifferent to the well-being of their fragile cargo,” Richard Durbin Jr, US lawyer for the Western District of Texas, said in a statement. “These people were helpless in the hands of their transporters. Imagine their suffering, trapped in a stifling trailer.”

It was not immediately known what charges the driver would face. Bradley, from Clearwater, Florida, was shown shackled and in blue overalls as he arrived in court in San Antonio on Monday.

A woman wipes away a tear as she takes part in a vigil at San Fernando Cathedral for victims of the Walmart tragedy. Picture: Eric Gay/AP
A woman wipes away a tear as she takes part in a vigil at San Fernando Cathedral for victims of the Walmart tragedy. Picture: Eric Gay/APSource:AP

San Antonio is about 240km north of the US-Mexico border. Mexico’s government has asked the authorities for an exhaustive investigation, adding that its consul general in San Antonio was working to identify the victims’ nationalities.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick expressed sympathy for the victims’ families. US President Donald Trump, a Republican, has vowed to crack down on immigrants living in the country illegally.

Source: News Corp Australia Network:

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