PHOENIX — Three migrants Mexicans died in the Sonoran Desert, in Arizona, near the border with Mexico, due to high temperatures in some areas of the southwestern United States.
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported on Friday that the bodies of two men, ages 44 and 18, and a 17-year-old girl, were found in the desert on Wednesday. in an area called Sheep Mountain, which is located in southwestern Arizona, at the Barry M. Goldwater Shooting Range, a remote military training area near the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
A rescue tower where migrants can call for help was activated, prompting a search by land and air. Another member of the group of four was found alive. The bodies were transferred to the Pima County coroner’s office for autopsy. The Mexican consulate was notified.
High temperatures this week in the Arizona and Phoenix deserts have averaged between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit (43 to 46 degrees Celsius). The U.S. National Weather Service said above-normal temperatures are expected in Las Vegas during the next week due to a high pressure system over the western United States.
This level of temperatures can pose a danger to people who remain in the sun for hours.
“The terrain along the border is extreme, the relentless summer heat is harsh, and the remote areas where human smugglers take migrants are unforgiving,” said CBP Deputy Chief Justin De La Torre of the Tucson Sector. “Too many people who made the choice to put their lives in the hands of criminal organizations have died from dehydration and heat stroke.”
Source: With information from AP
