At least six people from two families are presumed drowned while trying to illegally cross into the US from Canada on the St. Lawrence River, and the search continues for two more victims, Akwesasne Mohawk Police Services said in a news release on Friday. Police said the dead are believed to be members of Indian and Romanian families attempting to cross the wide river, which separates Canada and the US. One of the deceased was a child who had a Canadian passport, police said. On Thursday, six bodies were pulled from the river - a large body of water that handles Maritime shipping between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. "All are believed to have been attempting illegal entry into the U.S. from Canada," said Lee-Ann O'Brien, Akwesasne deputy police chief. The other victim is an infant thought to be a member of the Romanian family, police said. The bodies were discovered as authorities searched for another missing person, Casey Oakes, 30, a resident of the Akwesasne Indian reserve. Oakes was last seen Wednesday entering a light blue boat and has still not been located. About 15 volunteer firefighters searched the river Thursday after Oakes' family reported him missing. During the search firefighters located the boat believed to belong to the victims in a marshy area. The boat was too small to carry the families, said Akwesasne Fire Department Captain Kevin Sturge Lazore. "What that boat could handle and the amount of people in it, it doesn't make a pretty picture," Lazore said. "The river is always the major concern… Our (Indian) elders tell us, always be careful. Especially in the spring, with the run-off, the current is stronger." Police said they are waiting for post-mortem reports to determine the exact cause of death.
Source: Anadulo Agency