By EMS1 Staff
NOGALES, Ariz. — A Mexican woman was rescued after being locked inside an ambulance by human smugglers.
Nogales Police Department said a man told U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers that his sister was trapped in an ambulance and needed help, according to Nogales International. He said she had called him after crossing the border illegally.
Border Patrol agents and paramedics searched the area and found an ambulance in a fenced yard. Rescuers opened the compartment and found the woman, who was weak and dehydrated.
Authorities learned the smugglers told the woman to climb into the 4-foot by 4-foot space and wait for instructions. She waited for two days with little water and no food.
“The inside of the compartment was lined with diamond plate aluminum, creating an oven-like effect inside,” NPD said, adding that she “waited for hours where the temperatures likely reached unbearable conditions. She could not get out and did not know if someone was nearby to help.”
The woman was treated by paramedics and transported to the hospital, where she made a full recovery.