11 dead, 13 injured in crash linked to human smuggling near US-Mexico border, officials say

ENCINO, Texas (AP) - An overloaded van carrying about 25 passengers crashed Wednesday on a remote South Texas highway, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than a dozen others, authorities said.

The crash happened shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. 281 in Encino, Texas, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of McAllen. Brooks County Sheriff Urbino Martinez says the van, designed to hold 15 passengers, was top-heavy and tipped over when the driver lost control on a curve.

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Martinez said he believed most of the passengers were migrants. Sgt. Nathan Brandley of the Texas Department of Public Safety put the immediate death toll at 11 with more than a dozen others injured.

Encino is a community of about 140 residents about 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) south of the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint.

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