HOUSTON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Three people were charged with human trafficking after 12 people were rescued from a locked box truck parked in west Houston in south U.S., local newspaper reported Monday.
According to Harris County District Attorney's Office, 10 men, one woman and a girl under the age of 18, were found inside the box truck with the temperature of more than 38 degrees Celsius.
They had been banging on the walls of the truck for hours trying to get someone to let them out.
The three suspected were each charged with two counts of human smuggling likely to cause injury or death and one count of human smuggling involving a minor. If convicted, they may face two to 20 years in prison, according to the District Attorney's news release.
The 12 people rescued from the truck were believed to be from El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico, said the report. They are suspected of having entered the country without documentation.
