54 people pulled out Rio Grande; several cases of hypothermia reported

EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — El Paso and Sunland Park Fire departments and other agencies pulled 54 people out of the Rio Grande near the Texas-New Mexico state line during a water rescue mission on Tuesday evening, July 9, according to EP Fire.

El Paso and Sunland Park Fire departments initially responded at about 5 p.m. to reports of “multiple people in the water” along the 3500 block of Doniphan.

About six people suffered from hypothermia from being in the water too long and three or four were transported, but nothing critical, Sunland Park Fire Chief Daniel Medrano said.

Photos by Gabriela Rodriguez/KTSM

So far this year, Sunland Park Fire has done about 80 water rescues, including Tuesday’s 54 individuals.

“I have a message for the migrants: Crossing illegally is against the law and it is dangerous,” Medrano said.

El Paso Fire said that the individuals taken out of the water have been turned over to law enforcement. Border Patrol could be seen at the scene.

A total of 30 divers from El Paso Fire, Sunland Park, Mesilla Valley Fire Rescue, Horizon, Montana Vista and Border Patrol participated in the operation.

Enrique Duenas, a spokesman for El Paso Fire, said the rescued individuals were all adults, but he didn’t have any specific ages.

“So far this year, we have been seeing this (water rescues) weekly, every two weeks, but not in this manner,” Duenas said. “This number of people is odd. Usually, we have one or two people in the water.”

The scene and affected individuals have been turned over to law enforcement.

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