3 Mexican migrants found dead in Arizona from extreme heat exposure

June 28 (UPI) -- Three Mexican migrants have died in Arizona because of exposure to extreme heat, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed Friday.

The three were discovered earlier in the week by U.S. Border Patrol agents stationed in the unincorporated area of Ajo, located in Pima County, Ariz.

Agents were alerted by surviving migrants that had made their way to a rescue beacon in an area known as Sheep Peak. Border agents using helicopters located the three deceased migrants at about 12 p.m. PDT Wednesday.

The bodies were taken to the office of the Pima County Medical Examiner, while the Mexican Consulate was also notified.

The incident is the latest in several fatalities involving migrants attempting to walk through scorching temperatures in border states.

In April, CBP agents responded to emergency calls in Texas after a migrant collapsed near Laredo. The man was later found to have run out of drinking water and had ingested contaminated groundwater.

Officials also warned potential migrants about the dangers of enlisting illegal smugglers to get across the border.

"CBP's message for anyone who is thinking of soliciting the services of smuggling organizations to enter the United States illegally along the Southern border is simple: Don't do it," Tucson Sector Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre said in Friday's statement.

"As is evidenced by this case, when migrants cross the border illegally, they put their lives in peril. The terrain along the border is extreme, the relentless summer heat is severe, and remote areas where smugglers bring migrants is unforgiving. Far too many people who made the decision to place their lives into the hands of the criminal organizations have died of dehydration, and heat stroke."