A Mexican woman died Monday after getting stuck hanging upside down while attempting to climb over the border wall into Arizona, officials say.
Authorities were alerted by Mexican officials Monday night that a woman was stuck on the border wall near Douglas, off International Road and Kings Highway, said a Facebook post by Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels.
The 32-year-old Mexican national apparently climbed over the wall and, while she was climbing down the U.S. side with a harness, her foot and leg got entangled and she was trapped upside down for a significant amount of time, the sheriff’s office said.
The Border Patrol responded and she was taken to a hospital, 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,” Dannels said in the post. “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.”
The Pima County Medical Examiner is doing an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death, while the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office continues its investigation.
The Mexican Consulate in Douglas knows the woman’s identity and is in contact with relatives, who live in Agua Prieta, Sonora, and have asked the consulate not to release any of her personal details. The consulate is helping to deliver her remains to the family.
Consul of Mexico Ricardo Pineda Albarrán said the Consulate of Douglas condemns the actions of human trafficking groups who lead people into dangerous situations crossing the border.
This is at least the fourth death this year of migrants who were injured while trying to climb over the border wall. The previous three incidents were on the southern border of Texas, according to statements by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
