Infant girl and four others dead after attempting Rio Grande river crossing

Texas authorities recovered four bodies, including one of an infant girl, from the Rio Grande River in Texas in only 48 hours this week, authorities said on Monday. 

Two bodies were retrieved from the river that runs along the U.S.-Mexico border on Saturday, while the other two were found on Sunday and Monday, according to Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivares. 

On Saturday, U.S. Border Patrol reported a “possible infant drowning” near Eagle Pass, Texas. When the DPS Tactical Marine Unit (TMU) arrived at the scene, they found four people floating in the river, including a woman and a baby that were unresponsive. With the help of two airboats, authorities were able to retrieve the two.

The migrants received lifesaving measures and were later transported to Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead, Olivares said. The other two migrants survived the river’s currents and were handed over to Border Patrol. 

On Sunday, authorities recovered the body of a male from the Rio Grande river. Similarly, on Monday, authorities recovered the body of a female. 

"The identities of the deceased remain unknown since none possessed identifying documents," Olivares added. 

The Rio Grande spans nearly 2,000 miles, dividing Texas and Mexico. Many undocumented migrants risk their lives crossing it in order to make it to the United States. However, the river is known to have strong currents that can easily sweep people away. 

The drowning comes days before Texas is set to install a floating barrier in the Rio Grande that aims to prevent migrants from crossing near Eagle Pass.

The 1,000-foot floating wall is made up of four-foot-wide buoys that are equipped with weights and netting and are designed to rotate if someone attempts to climb over them.