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An Indian family of four from Gujarat is among the eight people who drowned in the St Lawrence river near the Canada-US border when their boat capsized while they were trying to enter the United States illegally.
The family, comprising of a couple and their two children, hailed from the Manekpura village in Gujarat's Mehsana district, The Hindu reported.
They are believed to have reached Canada on a tourist visa a few weeks ago with the intention to enter into the US illegally.
A Romanian family is also among the eight people who were found dead.
The deceased include Pravin Chaudhary, his wife Daksha, and their children Mit and Vidhi, The Hindu reported, quoting sources. They are said to have been helped by a local agent to attempt entering the US illegally.
“We had spoken to them two weeks ago. They had gone to Canada for tourism,” Jashu Chaudhary, Pravin Chaudhary's cousin said while speaking to the press in Manekpura.
The first body was discovered during an aerial search of the landscape.
Meanwhile, as per local deputy police chief Lee-Ann O'Brien, an infant whose passport was recovered from one of the bodies, appears to also be missing. According to AFP, police dive teams were carrying out a search.
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Autopsy and toxicology test results are awaited.
As per O’Brien, they have registered 48 crossings through Akwesasne for entry into the US, since the beginning to the year.
(With inputs from AFP and The Hindu.)
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