SAN DIEGO—Mexican authorities contacted the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) yesterday asking for assistance in the rescue of a woman who had fallen and hit her head.
At approximately 9:30 a.m., the USBP’s Foreign Operations Branch received a call from Grupo Beta, a search and rescue team under the Government of Mexico’s National Institute of Migration. The Mexican authorities indicted that they had received a distress call from a man who was illegally present in the U.S. The man’s companion was a 40-year-old female Mexican national who had fallen, hit her head, and was severally dehydrated. The two individuals were in the U.S. on Otay Mountain in Otay, California.
Custom and Border Protection’s Office of Air and Marine deployed a helicopter to conduct an aerial search of the area, while a Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) team was activated on land. During the search, Border Patrol agents made several attempts to call the man who made the initial distress call but those calls went straight to his voice mail.
With land and air assets, the teams located the man and woman in Copper Canyon at approximately 1 p.m. There were five individuals at the site, including the injured woman. BORSTAR agents provided emergency aid and a CALFIRE helicopter hoisted her out of the canyon. She was airlifted to a local area hospital for further treatment.
To prevent the illicit smuggling of humans, drugs, and other contraband, the U.S. Border Patrol maintains a high level of vigilance on major corridors of egress away from our Nation’s borders. The U.S. Border Patrol also maintains strong partnerships with international law enforcement agencies to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in border communities. To report suspicious activity to the U.S. Border Patrol, contact San Diego Sector at (619) 498-9900.