The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service said late Thursday it was investigating the discovery of six bodies in a marshy area of Quebec near Canada's border with New York state.
Police said they were awaiting the results of post-mortem and toxicology tests to determine the cause of death.
They said they were still trying to identify the dead and their status in Canada. It wasn’t immediately known if they were migrants trying to cross the border.
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"The first body was located around 5:00 P.M. in a marsh area in Tsi Snaihne, Akwesasne, Quebec," police said in a statement on social media. "There is no threat to the public at this time."
Last month, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police reported a recent increase in illegal entries through their lands and waterways. The statement said some migrants required hospitalization. And in January the force noted people involved in human smuggling had attempted to utilize shorelines along the St. Lawrence River in the area.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a plan last week to close a loophole to an immigration agreement that allowed thousands of asylum-seeking migrants to move between the two countries along a back road linking New York state to Quebec.
The deal closing an illegal border crossing point about 105 kilometers (66 miles) east of Akwesasne took effect Saturday.
