Photo Father Daughter Drowned Border

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

The photo of a Salvadoran father who drowned with his daughter while trying to cross the Rio Grande river on the southern border has rocked public opinion, exposing the dangers and the heartbreaking reality of migrants crossing from Mexico to the United States. The photo has gone viral and has even caused the outrage of Pope Francis himself who has already expressed his sadness.

The photo was taken this Monday by journalist Julia Le Duc just a few hours after Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez, 25, died in the river with his daughter Valeria, almost 2 years old. The image shows the young father still hugging his daughter, trying to protect her from the murky waters of the Rio Grande, as he is known on the Mexican side.

Le Duc also captured Tania Vanessa Ávalos, 21, who helplessly watched as her daughter and husband drowned. After its publication in the Mexican newspaper La Jornada, the photo went viral.

According to this publication, the deceased had crossed his daughter to the other side and had left her safe on dry land. He then returned for his wife, but when she saw herself alone the girl panicked and jumped into the water to try to follow her dad. Her father immediately returned to her, securing her body with his shirt. However, the strong current of the river dragged them causing them to drown.

The tragedy happened before the eyes of the mother who helplessly watched as the bodies were swallowed by the waters. 12 hours later the bodies were recovered and now El Salvador authorities are working to repatriate the remains.

"When [Valeria] jumped into the water, that's when he tried to reach her, but when he tried to grab the girl, he went deeper … and they couldn't get out," Rosa Ramírez, mother of the deceased, told the Asssociated Press agency. “I begged them not to leave, but he wanted to raise money to make a home. His hope was to stay there for a couple of years and save for a house."

In the photos, elements of the Ministry of the Navy of Mexico can be seen carrying out the rescue of the bodies. On the other hand, it was reported that the bodies of father and daughter are expected to arrive in El Salvador this Thursday, as confirmed by AP.

According to the aforementioned Mexican newspaper, the family had been at the Puerta México refugee center for two months. Overcrowding, lack of food, and temperatures over 110 degrees Fahrenheit prompted the young dad to make the dangerous journey across the river and defying the policies of the President Donald Trump administration that has generated a wave of arrests throughout and width of the southern border.

In response on Wednesday, the high pontiff of the Catholic Church condemned the events, expressing once again his regret at what is happening on the border between Mexico and the United States. "The Holy Father has seen, with immense sadness, the image of the father and his daughter drowned in the Rio Grande as they tried to cross the border between Mexico and the United States," it was said in an official statement issued by the Vatican.. "The Pope is deeply sorry for their deaths, he prays for them and for all the migrants who have lost their lives trying to escape war and misery."