Eight people are dead after human smuggler driving car full of illegal migrants crashes into SUV driven by American citizens during pursuit in Texas

A suspected migrant smuggler and seven others have been killed after a clash in rural Texas.

The incident occurred on US Highway 57 near the farming community of Batesville and left two innocent Americans dead, local authorities said.

The early morning crash occurred about 50 miles from the border around 8 a.m. local time, and state officials later revealed the pair were from Georgia. Both were in the front seat of an SUV that was struck by the suspected smuggler’s vehicle.

That car, police said, had evaded arrest by the Zavala County Sherriff’s Office just before the crash – which happened while trying to pass an 18-wheeler in a no-passing zone.

DPS Troopers later confirmed that several of the deceased – including the aforementioned smuggler – were from Honduras. In a statement, Texas Department of Public Safety officials said their investigation was ongoing.

The mishap comes as the Biden administration continues to grapple with the flow of migrants from South and Central America — as 2.47 million people were stopped at the border in fiscal year 2023, up from the previous record of 2, 4 million the year before.

Department Lt. Chris Olivarez shared photos of the two totalitarian vehicles and said: (Texas DPS) is investigating a fatal two-vehicle crash on US 57 near Batesville.

“The driver of a Honda passenger car from Houston, suspected of human smuggling, eluded Zavala COSO when the driver passed an 18-wheeler in a no-passing zone,” the officer added.

“The driver struck a Chevy SUV head-on, causing the vehicle to catch fire and killing the Georgia driver and passenger.

“As a result, five passengers were killed, including the suspected smuggler of the Honda.

“Troopers have confirmed that several of the dead are from Honduras. Identities will be released once next of kin have been notified,” the ministry spokesperson added.

“This is still an ongoing investigation.”

Police later clarified that there were six people in the Honda, all of whom died.

While the crash was still being investigated, it killed everyone involved, police confirmed, and also caused an explosion at the scene that was captured in a photo.

The stretch of highway remained closed for more than three hours after the crash, less than six months after another human smuggler was in a fatal wreck on the same road.

In that case, deputies with the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office said two men — both believed to be migrants — when the SUV they were in collided with a semi-tanker truck carrying fuel.

Similar to the more recent incident, the crash caused a fiery explosion – although both the driver of the confirmed smuggling vehicle and the semi managed to survive and were subsequently transported to a trauma hospital in San Antonio.

The parties involved weren’t so lucky this time, although as of 3:35 PM ET, none of them have been named.

However, Olivarez confirmed that six people had been in the five-seater Honda at the time of the crash, while the two from Georgia were in the Chevrolet.

Everyone in each vehicle was killed, officials also confirmed, sharing photos of each vehicle lying in ruins at the scene, with the SUV visibly burned out.

Police did not say whether the migrants were still alive when the car went up in flames — a scene also shared by Olivarez in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The crash – one of several involving suspected or confirmed migrant smugglers – remains under investigation.

The incident further underscores the historic numbers of people moving north in search of a new life in the U.S., often at the expense of U.S. citizens in places like Texas, as well as sanctuary cities like New York.

It also highlights the dangers associated with the number of travelers crossing not only US borders, but also the borders of other countries – as most migrants come from Venezuela, which is currently in the midst of its own political crisis, along with a economic crisis. also a.

This year alone, the number of crossings of the Darien Gap – a stretch of treacherous jungle connecting Central America to the south on the Panama-Colombia border – shot up to an estimated 500,000, up from about 400,000 the year before.

Previously, annual crossings for that route were pegged at 200,000 or fewer, shining a light on the staggering increase in migration felt in the United States in recent years.