(Quebec) Akwesasne Mohawk Police are working with Immigration Canada and the United States Department of Homeland Security to confirm the identities of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River this week.
Police discovered the bodies of five adults and a child in a marshy area on Thursday, and recovered the bodies of a baby and an adult woman on Friday.
One of the children was a Canadian citizen, and the victims are believed to be of Romanian and Indian origin.
Mohawk police have established no direct link between the deaths of the eight migrants and the disappearance of Akwesasne resident Casey Oakes, who was last seen Wednesday night on a boat found Thursday alongside the bodies of the immigrants. The 30-year-old is still wanted by authorities.
Akwesasne straddles the Canada-US border, with parts of the territory in Ontario, Quebec and New York State.
Authorities say the territory’s unique geography makes it a popular place for smugglers, with police making 48 separate interceptions involving 80 people trying to enter the United States illegally since January.