11 migrants dead, 20 hurt as van flips over in Rio Grande Valley

ENCINO, Texas -- Eleven people were dead and roughly 20 others injured when an overloaded van carrying migrants crashed and flipped over in the Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

DPS Sgt. Nathan Brandley told ABC affiliate KRGV that the Ford van crashed into a metal utility pole about 4 p.m. while traveling at a high rate of speed along U.S. Highway 281 in Encino, which is about 50 miles north of McAllen.

The passengers in the van were undocumented immigrants, according to Brandley and Brooks County Sheriff Benny Martinez.

Authorities said the van wasn't being chased when it crashed; Martinez told ABC affiliate KTRK that the speeding van, designed to hold 15 passengers, was top-heavy and tipped over when the driver lost control on a curve.

Encino is a community of 140 residents located about two miles south of the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint.