The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating a crash involving migrants Wednesday that killed 8 people southwest of San Antonio. (UPI)

While allegedly trying to evade the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office, a Honda passenger car from Houston, driven by a 21-year old and “suspected of human smuggling,” passed an 18-wheeler in a no-passing zone and drove “head-on” into a Chevy SUV, causing that vehicle to “burst into flames,” DPS spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez said in a statement on social media.

The driver and passenger of the Chevy SUV, which was from Georgia, were both killed, Olivarez said.

All six passengers in the Honda, which included the suspected smuggler, were also killed, according to the DPS. The deceased migrants in the Honda were from Honduras, Olivarez said.

The DPS released photos that showed debris from both completely destroyed vehicles strewn across the highway.

Names of the victims have not been released pending the notification of family members, the DPS said.

The crash remains under investigation.

This area is no stranger to migrant deaths. Last year, a local worker heard cries for help coming from an abandoned 18-wheeler near San Antonio amid the crippling Texas heat and humidity and discovered more than 50 migrants dead in the trailer. That incident is thought to be the deadliest human smuggling case in the U.S. since records have been kept.

There have been other deadly accidents involving smuggling operations in rural parts of Texas.

About a year ago, one person was killed and 11 others taken to the hospital in the town of La Joya, just a few miles north of the U.S. Mexico border. In that case, the driver of a car ran a red light while evading local law enforcement. Police suspected human smuggling because of the number of people in the vehicle.

In June, 2022, four migrants were killed and two others injured when the vehicle carrying the migrants collided with a large truck.