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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV Truck Deaths Victims Familes - LatAm
HEADLINE: Families Mourn Victims in San Antonio Truck Deaths
TEASER: The Guatemalan and Honduran governments are working to assist families of those who died in a horrific human-smuggling incident
PUBLISHED AT: 7/1/22 at 525p
BYLINE: Eugenia Sagastume, Oscar Ortiz
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Guatemala City and Honduras
VIDEOGRAPHER: Eugenia Sagastume, Oscar Ortiz
ARTWORK:
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: KE; Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, AP, REUTERS, TN23
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 1:50
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[Of the seven Guatemalans found dead in a tractor-trailer parked in the heat Monday in San Antonio, Texas, two were teenagers traveling without an accompanying adult. Their family members are trying to find out why they took the dangerous trip north. For VOA News in Guatemala and Honduras, Eugenia Sagastume and Oscar Ortiz have the story. ]]
((NARRATION))
Pascual Guachiac and Juan Tulul were cousins from western Guatemala. They were 13 and 14 years old.
((Nicolás Suy, Related to Victims)) ((IN SPANISH))
"Fifteen days ago, they left. They left to fight for life, to get ahead. Maybe they thought they had a future, but then this tragedy happened."
((NARRATION))
The teens, traveling unaccompanied to the United States, were two of the 53 people from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras who died inside a truck in San Antonio, Texas.
Relatives say the last communication they had with them was at noon Monday, when they messaged to say they were in the U.S.
((Manuel Tulul, Victim's Father)) ((IN SPANISH))
"We are poor here in Guatemala, and he told us that he was going to fight for his life. That's why he left. But unfortunately this happened."
((NARRATION))
The Guatemalan Foreign Ministry confirmed that five other Guatemalans died in the truck.
((Mario Búcaro, Guatemalan Foreign Minister)) ((IN SPANISH))
“In addition, we have three injured people in hospitals, whom we are visiting. Their condition is very delicate."
((NARRATION))
Búcaro said that fingerprint and DNA tests are being carried out to confirm the identities of the victims, and Guatemala will proceed with their repatriation.
((NARRATION))
The families of the Honduran victims are also in mourning.
Fernando and Alejandro Caballero were originally from Las Vegas, Santa Bárbara, in central Honduras. Together with Margie Tamara Paz, Alejandro's wife, they decided to make the trip to the U.S. without proper documentation, hoping for a better life.
The mother of the Honduran men says her children just couldn’t find good jobs at home.
(((Karen Lara, Victims' Mother))) ((IN SPANISH))
"We need action, solutions that help stop this migration of young people.”
((NARRATION))
The Guatemalan and the Honduran foreign ministries say they will cover the repatriation expenses of the victims and are working to assist the affected families.
((For Eugenia Sagastume and Oscar Ortiz in Guatemala and Honduras, Cristina Caicedo Smit, VOA News.))
NewsML Media TopicsDisaster, Accident and Emergency Incident
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJuly 1, 2022 17:35 EDT
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
