Officials reported that at least nine migrants were discovered dead in the Rio Grande after scores of people tried a perilous crossing close to Eagle Pass, Texas.
Following days of intense rain that had caused exceptionally swift currents, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Mexican authorities made the discovery Thursday while responding to a sizable group of migrants crossing the river. According to a CBP statement, American officials retrieved six remains while Mexican personnel recovered three.
The agency reported that Mexican authorities apprehended 39 migrants while American personnel pulled out and detained 16 more from the river. According to the border agency, officials are still looking for victims on both sides of the border.
The migrants’ countries of origin were not disclosed by CBP, and no more details regarding rescue and search efforts were given. Requests for more information were not immediately answered by the local Texas agencies concerned.
The Del Rio sector of the Border Patrol, which includes Eagle Pass, is quickly developing into the most active route for unauthorized crossings. In the sector, immigration officers detained immigrants about 50,000 times in July, with Rio Grande Valley coming in second with about 35,000 stops.
The region attracts immigrants from numerous nations; many of them travel with young families. In the Del Rio sector, migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, or Nicaragua were at about six out of ten stops in July.
Due to how quickly river currents can alter and appear to move, the area along the Rio Grande that stretches about 245 miles (395 kilometers) has proven particularly treacherous. Even for someone who is an excellent swimmer, crossing the river might be difficult.
CBP stated in a news release last month that it found the bodies of more than 200 dead migrants in the area between October and July.
Increasing mortality is being reported in surveys by the U.N. International Organization for Migration and other organizations. Thousands of people have perished in the past 30 years trying to reach the United States from Mexico, frequently from dehydration or drowning.
The biggest catastrophe to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico occurred in San Antonio in June when 53 migrants were discovered dead or dying in a tractor-trailer on a quiet road.
