Two other passengers died while the rest are being treated for their injuries.
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Four of the passengers that were thrown from the SUV were pronounced dead at the scene, police said, and another two later died at local hospitals.
According to ABC13, authorities believe the crash is a failed human smuggling attempt. Few victims were distinguished as being from Guatemala and Honduras. The SUV flipped several times during the chase.
The SUV, which typically seats five, appeared to have been modified – with rear seats folded down and the middle seats removed – to squeeze in more than a dozen occupants, state trooper Ruben San Miguel of Texas Department of Safety told the Houston station KTRK Channel 13. Seven others were hospitalized, but no information was released on their conditions.
“The worst part”, the sheriff continued, “is that most Texans and most Americans don’t know about the complete disembowelment of our nation’s immigration system”. It is believed the vehicle may have been involved in smuggling illegal immigrants across the Mexico-U.S. border.
The driver of the SUV sped away and led police on a chase on Highway 59 in the city limits of Edna, the statement said. The teenager had been fleeing Border Patrol agents when the van he was driving with at least 17 immigrants inside flipped.
Wooldridge said he did not know the their legal status but some of them were from South America.
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This article has been updated with additional information.
