2 dead after big rig carrying undocumented immigrants crashes into Texas cemetery

ENCINIAL, Texas — A semi-truck carrying undocumented immigrants crashed into a South Texas cemetery on Monday after a brief police chase.

Two people were reported to have died in the wreck, according to the Encinial Police Department.

Encinial officers began pursuit of the truck after being called by the Customs and Border Patrol, which also had officers chasing the rig.

Authorities set up a staging area on the East Access Road of Interstate 35 on the outskirts of Encinial so the chase wouldn’t head into the city.

As officers were standing by, they reported hearing loud braking noises to their south.

When they went to investigate, they saw the semi being chased into the front gates of the Encinial Cemetery, causing major damage to the gate.

Police said they found 16 undocumented immigrants inside the rig and two men dead at the scene.

The incident is under investigation.

John Worthen

Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.