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Agents responding to 911, beacon alerts rescue 5 in desert near Ajo

Agents responding to 911, beacon alerts rescue 5 in desert near Ajo
Posted at 9:23 AM, May 11, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-11 12:30:04-04

Federal officials say Border Patrol agents responding to a 911 call and activations of rescue beacons in the southern Arizona desert rescued five immigrants who had illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.

Customs and Border Protection says four Mexican nationals said they'd wandered in the desert for five days before being rescued Tuesday night after calling 911 and activating a beacon.

Also Tuesday night, agents responding to a beacon activation found a Honduran man.

CBP says all five immigrants that occurred in an area patrolled by agents stationed in Ajo declined medical care.

Ajo is 114 miles (183 kilometers) west of Tucson.

According to the CBP, unscrupulous smugglers often abandon migrants in the desert, causing some to die.

Officials encourage people in distress to call 911 or activate a rescue beacon.