3 Suspected Immigrants Die Crossing Desert

Three suspected illegal immigrants have died in the last three days crossing the Imperial County desert east of San Diego.

The Imperial County Sheriff’s Department received a report late Monday that six immigrants were in need of help at Plaster City, a Salton Sea community about 80 miles east of San Diego.

A dispatcher for the county coroner’s office said that at least one man was dead and five other people were in need of medical care, but no other details were available.

More than 100 people have died crossing the southwest border of Mexico this year, according to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. More than 80 of those deaths were heat-related; the others were drownings, traffic accidents or other causes.

The temperature in eastern San Diego County was about 110 degrees Monday.

Imperial County authorities found the body of another immigrant Sunday floating in the All-American Canal near Calexico.

The body, which appeared to have been in the water less than 24 hours, was fully clothed and was seen by swimmers in the canal, Chief Deputy Coroner Jesse Altamirano said.

The body of another man was found Saturday just north of Bombay Beach near the Coachella Canal.

Altamirano said it appeared the 24-year-old man was overcome by the heat. The body was found face-down near a road; footprints of several people led up to the body and away from it, Altamirano said.

Authorities believe that the man was traveling with a group of illegal immigrants when he died and that they laid him near a road so someone would find him.

Autopsies on all three men were scheduled for today. The families of the men will be notified of their deaths.