Canadian police announced that the bodies of eight people from two families were found in a swamp on Canadian soil after they tried to enter the United States illegally.

They belong to two different families, one Canadian-Roman and the other Indian. Their bodies were found not far from an overturned boat owned by a man who is still missing and belongs to the Akwesasne Aboriginal group scattered in Canada and the United States.
"Eight bodies were recovered from the water," local police chief Sean Dollod told a news conference on Friday.

And after the discovery of the bodies of six people on Thursday, including a child under the age of three, "two other bodies were found, a Canadian infant of Romanian origin and a woman who apparently holds Indian nationality," according to Duloud.

Canadian authorities believe that these two families were trying to enter the United States illegally from Canada.

"We believe they were trying to enter the United States illegally from Canada," said local deputy police chief Lee Ann O'Brien at a news conference, confirming that they had arrived in Canada legally.

A helicopter and diver teams from various police departments have been dispatched to the scene to assist in the search.

The territory of this indigenous group lies on the banks of the Saint-Laurent River about 120 kilometers southwest of Montreal and stretches between Quebec, Ontario, and New York.

"It is unimaginable what the families of these individuals are going through," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday morning.

Initially, the authorities were looking for the owner of the boat, which has been missing since Wednesday, when rescuers found the bodies of the two families.

The authorities said that the weather conditions were very bad, noting that rain, frost and strong winds occurred during the attempt of the boat, which was described as "very small", to cross.

"What we do know is that these trips are sometimes facilitated by people from here who are often vulnerable young men tempted by profit and exploited by criminal organizations," added Sean Dollod.

Local police said they had recently noticed "an increase in the number of people crossing Akwesasne to enter the United States", with 48 crossings recorded since the start of the year and 80 arrests.

The United States and Canada signed an agreement on tackling the growing problem of illegal immigration along their border during President Joe Biden's visit to Ottawa last week.

The agreement calls for undocumented asylum seekers who cross the border to be sent back to Canada, while Ottawa has committed to taking in more immigrants .

The deal has drawn heavy criticism from migrant rights groups, who believe it poses more dangers to those trying to cross the border illegally.