Authorities working to identify 8 bodies pulled from St. Lawrence River this week | Globalnews.ca
Akwesasne Mohawk Police say they are working with Immigration Canada and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm the identities of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River this week.
On Thursday, police discovered the bodies of five adults and one child in a marshy area, and recovered the body of a second child and an adult woman on Friday.
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Searchers dock at a marina as the search for victims continues Friday, March 31, 2023 after a boat capsized and left six people dead and two missing in Akwesasne, Que.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
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Akwesasne Mohawk Police Chief Shawn Dulude speaks to the media Friday, March 31, 2023 after a boat capsized and left eight people confirmed dead in Akwesasne, Quebec. Dulude says the eight people who died are believed to have been attempting illegal entry into the United States from Canada.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
One of the children was a Canadian citizen, and the victims are believed to be of Romanian and Indian descent.
READ MORE: Migrant death toll at 8 after bodies of infant, adult found in Akwesasne near U.S. border: police
Police have not made any direct connections between the deaths of the eight migrants and a missing 30-year-old Akwesasne resident, Casey Oakes, who was last seen Wednesday night operating a boat that was found Thursday next to the bodies of the migrants.
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Searchers look for victims Friday, March 31, 2023 after a boat capsized and left six people dead and one infant missing in Akwesasne, Que.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
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Searchers look for victims Friday, March 31, 2023 after a boat capsized and left six people dead and one infant missing in Akwesasne, Que.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Akwesasne straddles the Canada-U.S. border, with parts of the territory in Ontario, Quebec and New York state.
Authorities say the territory’s unique geography makes it a popular spot for human smugglers, with police making 48 separate interceptions involving 80 people trying to enter the United States illegally since January.
Most of them have been of Indian or Romanian descent.
–with files from Alessia Simona Maratta, Global News
© 2023 The Canadian Press
