39 people rescued from burned tractor-trailer after South Texas pursuit, Border Patrol officials say

Border Patrol officials said 39 people were rescued from a burning tractor-trailer after a pursuit in South Texas.

The tractor-trailer fled from the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint on June 4 after a K-9 alerted to the vehicle, the U.S. Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector said in a Facebook post.

Border Patrol officers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers pursued the tractor-trailer before it caught fire.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated that 39 people were rescued from inside the locked vehicle before it became engulfed in flames.

Authorities later arrested the driver and passenger in the tractor-trailer.

“This is the latest example of smugglers’ blatant disregard for the safety of the individuals they traffic,” the post said, in part. “Great work by agents and troopers in preventing the loss of life.”

The incident remains under investigation.

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