The six bodies, including that of a child under the age of 3, were found Thursday in a swamp near the Canadian border.
Six people, including a child, from two families, one Romanian-Canadian and the other Indian, were found dead in a swamp near the Canadian border after trying to enter the United States illegally, announced the police on Friday.
Their bodies were found Thursday near an overturned boat belonging to a still-missing man from the Akwesasne Indigenous community, local deputy police chief Lee-Ann O’Brien said at a news conference. .
A child under 3 years old
“The six people appear to be from two families, one of Romanian origin and the other of Indian nationality,” she said, adding that the child who died was under 3 years old.
“We believe they were trying to enter the United States illegally from Canada,” she said, adding that they had arrived in Canada legally.
A second child from the Romanian family, whose Canadian passport was found on one of the bodies, has not yet been found and police are continuing their search, Lee-Ann O’Brien said.
A helicopter and teams of divers from various police departments were dispatched to the scene to help in the search.
Conditions were very poor, with rain, sleet and strong winds, when the boat, described as “very small”, attempted the crossing, authorities said.
The six bodies were located late Thursday afternoon in a swampy area of Akwesasne, they added.
“unimaginable”
The territory of this Aboriginal community is located near the banks of the St. Lawrence River, about 120 kilometers southwest of Montreal. It straddles Quebec, Ontario and New York State.
Authorities said they were awaiting the results of the autopsy and toxicology tests to determine the cause of death.
“It’s unimaginable what the families of these individuals are going through, including (the death of) a young child,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday morning.
Native Community Police say they have recently seen an “increase in the number of people crossing Akwesasne to enter the United States”, with 48 crossings since the start of the year.
US-Canada agreement
Two people have already died this year trying to enter the United States illegally from Canada.
The two countries reached an agreement on handling the growing problem of illegal immigration along their border during President Joe Biden’s visit to Ottawa last week.
The agreement provides that undocumented asylum seekers crossing the border into Canada will be turned back, while Ottawa will accept more migrants in return.
This agreement has been strongly criticized by associations defending the rights of migrants, who believe that it poses more risks to people who try to cross the border illegally.
