Heat takes toll in area deserts
Federal authorities said they rescued 40 illegal immigrants during a dozen rescue missions over the weekend in Yuma County that also culminated in the recovery of another dead illegal alien, the third in three days.
U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Yuma sector on Monday afternoon found the body of a 22-year-old Mexico woman 14 miles south of Tacna and found three other females, all illegal aliens from Mexico, suffering from heat-related injuries.
Border Patrol agents provided emergency first aid to the three females but all three refused any further medical treatment, said Joe Brigman, spokesman for the Border Patrol's Yuma sector.
Brigman said two men, both illegal aliens, found their way to a gas station in Tacna and told authorities of the four females left behind in the desert.
The latest incident marks the third illegal alien death here due to heat exhaustion since Saturday. It brings the death toll among illegal aliens here to 15 since October, Brigman said. Of that total, eight died of exposure and the rest from other causes.
On Saturday afternoon, Border Patrol agents recovered the body of an 18-year-old Mexican woman in the desert 3.5 miles east of the U.S. Port of Entry at San Luis, Ariz. The woman had been traveling with her husband and eight others, all of whom were rescued and taken into custody, according to a Border Patrol news release.
On Sunday morning, Border Patrol agents recovered the body of a 24-year-old Mexican woman west of Avenue 2E and County 24th Street. The woman was traveling with her husband as part of a group of 18 illegal aliens who had entered the United States illegally 12 miles east of the San Luis port, according to the release.
"Once the couple started to fall behind the rest of the group, the husband asked one of the two smugglers to use their cell phone. The smugglers denied them the use of the cell phone and told them to return to Mexico," the release stated.
With temperatures spiking above 100 degrees earlier than expected this season, more illegal immigrants making the trek across the Sonora desert could perish, pushing the death toll even higher.
‘‘With this heat coming in, it doesn’t look good, but we’ll do the best we can,’’ Brigman said.
Temperatures are expected to hit highs of 106 and 104 degrees throughout the week, according to AccuWeather forecasts.
Brigman said the Border Patrol increased the number of land and air patrols in anticipation of the higher temperatures.
"We prepared to the maximum extent possible," Brigman said.
Rescue missions over the weekend also marked the "busiest three-day period" since August 2001 when the Yuma sector's Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue team was created, according to the release.
"This weekend we logged over 400 man-hours, we remain committed to our mission,” Dan Sprick, Yuma BORSTAR commander, stated in the release.
Brigman said Border Patrol agents conducted 10 rescue missions in the area between Wellton and Sentinel and two rescue missions between Yuma and the Gila Mountains.
Of the 40 illegal aliens rescued, 15 were located as a result of a rescue beacon located in the remote desert area south of Dateland, Brigman said.
Jonathan Athens can be reached at 539-6857 or jathens@yumasun.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
http://sun.yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_16818.php
Federal authorities said they rescued 40 illegal immigrants during a dozen rescue missions over the weekend in Yuma County that also culminated in the recovery of another dead illegal alien, the third in three days.
U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Yuma sector on Monday afternoon found the body of a 22-year-old Mexico woman 14 miles south of Tacna and found three other females, all illegal aliens from Mexico, suffering from heat-related injuries.
Border Patrol agents provided emergency first aid to the three females but all three refused any further medical treatment, said Joe Brigman, spokesman for the Border Patrol's Yuma sector.
Brigman said two men, both illegal aliens, found their way to a gas station in Tacna and told authorities of the four females left behind in the desert.
The latest incident marks the third illegal alien death here due to heat exhaustion since Saturday. It brings the death toll among illegal aliens here to 15 since October, Brigman said. Of that total, eight died of exposure and the rest from other causes.
On Saturday afternoon, Border Patrol agents recovered the body of an 18-year-old Mexican woman in the desert 3.5 miles east of the U.S. Port of Entry at San Luis, Ariz. The woman had been traveling with her husband and eight others, all of whom were rescued and taken into custody, according to a Border Patrol news release.
On Sunday morning, Border Patrol agents recovered the body of a 24-year-old Mexican woman west of Avenue 2E and County 24th Street. The woman was traveling with her husband as part of a group of 18 illegal aliens who had entered the United States illegally 12 miles east of the San Luis port, according to the release.
"Once the couple started to fall behind the rest of the group, the husband asked one of the two smugglers to use their cell phone. The smugglers denied them the use of the cell phone and told them to return to Mexico," the release stated.
With temperatures spiking above 100 degrees earlier than expected this season, more illegal immigrants making the trek across the Sonora desert could perish, pushing the death toll even higher.
‘‘With this heat coming in, it doesn’t look good, but we’ll do the best we can,’’ Brigman said.
Temperatures are expected to hit highs of 106 and 104 degrees throughout the week, according to AccuWeather forecasts.
Brigman said the Border Patrol increased the number of land and air patrols in anticipation of the higher temperatures.
"We prepared to the maximum extent possible," Brigman said.
Rescue missions over the weekend also marked the "busiest three-day period" since August 2001 when the Yuma sector's Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue team was created, according to the release.
"This weekend we logged over 400 man-hours, we remain committed to our mission,” Dan Sprick, Yuma BORSTAR commander, stated in the release.
Brigman said Border Patrol agents conducted 10 rescue missions in the area between Wellton and Sentinel and two rescue missions between Yuma and the Gila Mountains.
Of the 40 illegal aliens rescued, 15 were located as a result of a rescue beacon located in the remote desert area south of Dateland, Brigman said.
Jonathan Athens can be reached at 539-6857 or jathens@yumasun.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
http://sun.yumasun.com/artman/publish/articles/story_16818.php