Six Found Dead in Train Boxcar in Laredo, Texas

Six people were found dead Sunday afternoon inside a boxcar on a Union Pacific cargo train in Laredo, Texas, authorities said, prompting an ongoing investigation into the circumstances of their deaths.

Laredo police received a report around 3 p.m. near mile marker 13 at 12100 Jim Young Way, close to a Union Pacific rail yard north of the city, according to department spokesman Jose Espinoza. Officers and firefighters responded to the scene, where they confirmed the deaths inside the cargo container. Investigators have not released the identities, ages, genders or nationalities of the deceased, nor determined how long the bodies had been there.

The cause of death remains under review by the medical examiner's office, with police working alongside federal authorities. Espinoza noted that intense heat could be a factor, as temperatures in Laredo reached the mid-90s Fahrenheit Sunday afternoon, with the heat index climbing to about 104 degrees. "It's a very unfortunate event," Espinoza told reporters. "It was too many lives that were lost."

Union Pacific issued a statement saying the company was saddened by the incident and is cooperating fully with law enforcement.