Two Found Dead in Surf

Authorities said Saturday that they discovered the bodies of a man and a woman--both believed to be undocumented immigrants--who apparently went into the Pacific Ocean near Imperial Beach while attempting to evade U.S. immigration officials.

The two, neither of whom was identified, apparently drowned, said Sgt. Roy Stamper of the San Diego County Sheriff’s office.

One report, provided by the San Diego County coroner’s office, said the two were washed out to sea while attempting to cross the Tijuana River, near the point where the river empties into the Pacific Ocean. Other migrants reported the incident to U.S. immigration authorities, the coroner’s office said.

But Sheriff’s Sgt. Stamper said the two were being chased by U.S. Border Patrol agents and ran into the surf to avoid capture.

U.S. Border Patrol officials could not be reached for comment late Saturday.

The swampy Tijuana River area is traversed nightly by hundreds of undocumented immigrants en route to the United States. U.S. Border Patrol agents patrol the area extensively.

The incident happened either late Friday night or early Saturday morning, officials said. Both bodies were found floating close to the shore off Imperial Beach, near Seacoast Drive.

Surfers found the woman’s body about 1 p.m., said a spokesman for the San Diego County coroner’s office. The man’s body was found shortly after 6 p.m. in approximately the same area, Stamper said.