Plane smuggling migrants crashes in western Texas
The pilot of the plane fled the scene and is wanted for questioning.
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The pilot of the plane fled the scene and is wanted for questioning.
On Thursday afternoon, Presidio County Sheriff's Deputies responded to an airplane crash in the western Texas county of Presidio, where they discovered that the plane had been attempting to smuggle migrants away from the border.
Deputies responded to reports of a plane crash just north of the Presidio International Airport at approximately 3:51 pm, according to the Presidio County Sheriff's Office.
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View on RumbleDeputies were assisting in helping the injured passengers, when they discovered that the crash was "a smuggling attempt gone wrong," where the pilot attempted to "smuggle several undocumented individuals from Presidio by air."
"Investigators believe the excess weight of the passengers (6 passengers in a 4 seat aircraft) and low fuel contributed to the cause of the accident," the sheriff's office stated.
Presidio Police Officers, US Border patrol agents, Presidio EMS workers, Texas Department of Transportation, and the Presidio Fire Department all arrived on scene to aid the search and rescue efforts.
Some of those injured in the crash were transported to hospitals in El Paso, with others being detained by US Border Patrol.
The pilot of the plane fled the scene and is wanted for questioning.
An investigation is being conducted by the Presidio County Sheriff's, who said they would be filing smuggling charges on those involved.
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