A Mexican woman died after she became ensnared in her harness as she tried to scale the wall on the southern border to enter the US.
According to Arizona authorities, the woman was found around 11pm on Monday dangling from the wall near the city of Douglas in the southeastern corner of the state.
She had been “trapped upside down for a significant amount of time,” the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said.
The 32-year-old woman is thought to have been attempting to get down on the US side of the wall using a harness similar to those used for rappeling when she was entangled. She was later taken to a hospital in the area where she was pronounced dead.
“These types of incidents are not political, they are humanitarian realities that someone has lost a loved one in a senseless tragedy,” Sheriff Mark Dannels said in a statement. “We have to do better in finding solutions to the challenges facing our border, and we have to do it for the right reasons.”
“Regardless of opinions, it is the facts that should direct our progress, and we will keep working toward a shared goal of border safety and security,” he added.
US Border Patrol agents and Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene after being alerted by Mexican authorities.
The Mexican Consulate was then notified of the woman’s death and additional information was provided to the sheriff’s office by Mexican officials.
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on Facebook that they’re leading the subsequent investigation and that an autopsy will be conducted to determine the specific cause of death.
