More than 100 immigrants found locked in Texas home

MORE than 100 illegal immigrants were found locked inside a south Texas home, where they said they had been left for days without food or water.

The group of immigrants from Mexico and Central and South America was discovered when police in Edinburg responded to a call from inside the house at 10am local time today.

Authorities said the windows of the home, located at the end of a dirt road, were covered with bars, while chains and padlocks sealed the house's doors from the outside.

When officers freed the immigrants from the house, some fled into the surrounding neighbourhood. Others told police they had not had any food or drink for at least three days, The Monitor reported.

Border Patrol agents and a Department of Public Safety helicopter tracked down the escaped immigrants, and more than 100 were detained, according to Edinburg police spokesman Lt Oscar Trevino.

Seven people were hospitalised to be treated for dehydration and malnourishment, Trevino said.

Border Patrol agents detained two men believed responsible for the crime. One suspect had keys to an SUV on the house's property, while the other had thousands of dollars of cash in his pocket. The case remains under investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.