SUV rollover in Texas police chase leaves six dead

Six people were killed and seven injured when an overcrowded sports utility vehicle being pursued by police and thought to be carrying immigrants flipped several times southwest of Houston early on Thursday, police said. Officers say they believe the driver thought to take the Loop 521 exit, then at the last minute decided to continue on Highway 59 North. Police say just after 1:30am, the driver appeared to overcorrect, rolling or flipping the vehicle several times, ejecting four people inside.

Investigators said two people from the SUV fled on foot but were later captured. He had no information on their legal status, but said the vehicle seemed to have been adapted to fit in many passengers, hinting at the possibility of a human-trafficking operation.

The U.S. Highway 59 is a major north-south highway corridor linking the country’s southern border with Mexico to the northern border with Canada. She said two others are at a hospital in nearby Victoria in stable condition. Two others ran away but have since been arrested.

“We’ve been in contact with consulates and they are working with the medical examiner’s offices to try and find these people’s families”, he said.

Miguel told KTRK that authorities estimate 15 people were in the crashed vehicle.

“I believe the Ford Explorer is built on a half-ton chassis and it had ¾ of a ton of people”.