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- A family of three trying to enter the US through the Rio Grande was found unconscious by border agents.
- Agents were able to save the mother and her three-year-old child, a news release said.
- However, the mother's 9-year-old daughter died from drowning, NBC News reported.
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A 9-year-old girl died from drowning while trying to get into the US with her family last week, despite medical efforts to save her life.
The family, a mother of Guatemala and her two children from Mexico, were attempting to cross the Rio Grande River to enter the US on March 20, according to a news release from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Border Patrol agents discovered the family, who was unconscious, "stranded on an island on the Mexican side" of the river, the news release said.
During medical recovery efforts, the mother and her three-year-old child "regained consciousness," according to the news release.
"Agents attempted life-saving efforts on the second child, a nine-year-old from Mexico, and transferred care to the Eagle Pass Fire Department's Emergency Medical Services," the news release said. "The child remained unresponsive and was pronounced deceased by medical professionals."
Eagle Pass Fire Department's Lt. Jason Mares told NBC News that the girl's death was "considered a drowning."
"We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this small child," Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Austin L. Skero II said in the news release. "During these hard times, our agents remain resilient, and I am extremely proud of their efforts to preserve human life."
As Insider previously reported, President Joe Biden's administration has been under pressure trying to tackle the uptick of migrants trying to enter the country along the US-Mexico border.