4 people, including a baby, died crossing the Rio Grande into Texas over the holiday weekend
Jul 4, 2023, 3:39 PM | Updated: 4:20 pm
EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) — An infant was among four people who died while crossing the Rio Grande in the Texas border city of Eagle Pass in a 48-hour period over the Fourth of July weekend, authorities said.
The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Tactical Marine Unit on Saturday recovered four people from the river, including a woman and baby girl who were unresponsive, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez said on Twitter on Monday.
Officials immediately began chest compressions on the woman and baby, and both were taken to the hospital, Olivarez said. Both were pronounced dead at the hospital, he said.
The two survivors were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol, Olivarez said.
On Sunday, the body of a man was recovered from the river, and on Monday, the body of a woman was found, Olivarez said.
The identities of the dead weren’t known because none had identifying documents on them, he said.
The bodies were round in the same region where nine migrants died while attempting to cross the river in September.
During Texas’ regular legislative session, which ended in May, lawmakers allocated over $5 billion for border security. Days later, Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled a new initiative — floating marine barriers that will be deployed at “hotspots along the Rio Grande River.”
According to a June announcement from Abbott’s office, the first 1,000 feet (305 meters) of the water-based border security device will be deployed near Eagle Pass.
