In a grim overnight twist at the border, a man's life was extinguished by the surging waters of the swollen Tijuana River. Authorities reported the incident in the thick of torrential rains that pounded the area late Tuesday. According to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, the unidentified man was found face-down in the knee-deep water. He had been submerged for an estimated 30 minutes before rescuers arrived at the intersection of Dairy Mart Road and Camino de la Plaza around 1:30 a.m., as per NBC San Diego.
Efforts by rescue crews to revive the man soon had to shift to a recovery mission tragically. SDFD Battalion Chief Kyle Kutzke stated that the team quickly pulled the man from the riverbed within 10 minutes of arrival. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The exact actions taken by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents before lifeguards arrived have not been publicly detailed. Moreover, the man's immigration status remained unclear as details continued to emerge from the devastating scene.
Other individuals, who were wet and sitting on the ground, were also encountered near the tragic site. Their relation to the deceased or the circumstances that led them to be there have yet to be unearthed, and no additional injuries were reported by the lifeguards. Questions have been directed to CBP for further insight, but an immediate response was not provided. It is now left to the Medical Examiner's office to unravel both the cause of death and whether the demise of the man was a direct consequence of the storm, relayed the SDFD.
The San Diego Police Department has taken the lead in this mournful investigation. In a separate report by ABC 10News, SDPD confirmed the man perished in an attempt to cross the river amidst the downpour desperately. Rescue operations by SDFD crews were called forth around 1:20 a.m. by Border Protection, leading to the retrieval of the body in proximity to Dairy Mart Road and Camino De La Plaza. The exact cause of death remains unknown, and it is yet to be verified if the man was a migrant trying to cross the border.
Speculation had surfaced about a possible second victim in the water, but after exhaustive searching, officials found no one and dismissed the reports as unfounded. The deadly crossing occurred just two weeks following the rescue of eight migrants trapped under a bridge on Dairy Mart Road, narrowly escaping drowning due to rising waters.
