One person was killed and three were injured in a crash Wednesday night that officials say was connected to human smuggling.
The incident occurred on Interstate 10 at the Rita Road exit near mile marker 273, on Tucson's southeast side, around 11:30 p.m., the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.ย
A tractor trailer driven by a suspected human smuggler rear-ended another tractor trailer, DPS spokesman Bart Graves said.ย
One person in the trailer, who was a Mexican national, died at the scene, while three other passengers, also not U.S. citizens, were ejected, according to information from DPS and Homeland Security Investigations.
Three people, including the driver were taken to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.ย
Public Affairs Officerย Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe with Homeland Security Investigations told the Arizona Daily Star the crash was a "human smuggling event."
"Initial reporting indicates that four noncitizens were traveling inside the passenger compartment of a commercial tractor trailer when the tractor trailer was involved in a vehicle accident resulting in the death of one of the noncitizens, three additional noncitizens were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries," said the HSI statement.
The investigation is being conducted by DPS, with assistance from U.S. Border Patrol and HSI.
No further information was immediately available.
