WASHINGTON: As many as eight migrants have been found dead in the Rio Grande after dozens attempted a hazardous crossing near Eagle Pass, in the US state of Texas.

Mexican officials and US Customs and Border Protection made the finding on Thursday while responding to a large group of people crossing the river following days of heavy rains that had resulted in particularly swift currents.

Eight bodies were found by US Border Patrol officials  by Mexican teams, according to the statement. According to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, up to 37 additional people have been saved from a river close to Eagle Pass in Texas (CBP).

During the operation, US personnel detained 16 additional while 39 migrants were detained by Mexican authorities. Local media stated that the Rio Grande experienced rapid currents as a result of days of intense rain in the area.

According to a report by the regional media outlet KXAN, a five-year-old Guatemalan girl drowned on Monday after becoming separated from her mother as the two tried to wade over the Rio Grande to El Paso in western Texas. Tom Schmerber, the county's sheriff, reported that a three-year-old boy was discovered dead in the river in Maverick County, Texas, last week.Other causes of death include excessive heat or cold, falls from hills or border fences, and car accidents.

A large city in Texas named San Antonio hosted the discovery of 53 dead migrants inside an abandoned 18-wheeler in June, making it one of the bloodiest migrant-smuggling operations in recent US history. According to Schmerber, at least four migrants were discovered dead in Maverick County in August.

Recent government data reveals that from October through July, US authorities found the deaths of nearly 200 migrants in the Del Rio sector of the Border Patrol, which stretches 395 kilometres along the Rio Grande, including Eagle Pass. And in the Border Patrol's El Paso sector, migrant deaths are on track to double compared to last year,  as per reports.

According to the data, the Border Patrol has saved 443 migrants in the El Paso sector this fiscal year, resulting in 63 fatalities, down from 688 rescues and 39 fatalities in the same area last year.

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