Two stranded Indian nationals apprehended for trying to enter US illegally
New York: Two Indian nationals have been apprehended by the patrol agents at the US-Mexico border in Arizona after they got stranded while trying to enter America illegally, authorities said.
The duo, including a Sikh man, called for help using technology installed in remote locations to help people in distress.
Agents assigned to the Ajo Border Patrol Station rescued the two migrants following the activation of a US Border Patrol rescue beacon Wednesday evening.
They responded to the rescue beacon located approximately 14 miles northwest of the Lukeville Port of Entry in Arizona and found the two men alone in the beacon.
The two men were in good health, and did not request further medical assistance, the US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.
The duo was transported back to the station for processing, where records checks revealed the men were Indian nationals who were trying to enter US illegally.
The US agency said criminal organizations often abandon migrants in the desert. As a result, many perish along the border every year. US Border Patrol has encouraged anyone in distress to call 911 or activate a rescue beacon before they become a casualty.
Rescue beacons are self-contained solar powered units placed in remote locations considered to be high risk for people in distress. Their metal trussing, approximately 35 feet in height, is equipped with a high visibility strobe light on top of the structure.
Many of the towers utilize a camera system that is used to determine an appropriate response and aid in the rescue event.
Eye-level at the rescue beacon is a panel with a large red button, instructions in multiple languages, and a pictogram of an individual activating the rescue beacon by hitting the button and then waiting for Border Patrol first responders to arrive.
In fiscal year 2018, the United States Border Patrol apprehended people from 113 countries along the southwest border.
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Sri Lanka recovers 87 bodies from Iranian warship sunk off its coast by US submarine
Colombo (AP): A US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka's navy said Wednesday it recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people.
The Iranian vessel that was sunk in the Indian Ocean was the Islamic Republic's “prize ship,” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon news briefing. Hegseth said it was the first sinking of an enemy ship with a torpedo by the US since World War II.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament that its navy received information that the IRIS Dena, with 180 people on board, was in distress and sinking. The island nation sent ships and air force planes on a rescue mission, he said.
Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said by the time navy ships reached the location, there was no sign of the ship and “there were only some oil patches and life rafts. We found people floating on the water.”
He said the 32 people rescued were admitted to a hospital in the seaside town of Galle on the Sri Lanka's southern coast. The bodies recovered were being brought to land, he said.
Dr Anil Jasinghe, a top health ministry official, said one of those rescued is in critical condition, seven are receiving emergency treatment and others are being treated for minor injuries.
The IRIS Dena — one of Iran's newest warships — is a Moudge-class frigate that patrols in deep water for the Iranian navy. It is armed with heavy guns, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. It also carries one helicopter.
The frigate was the centerpiece of a two-ship international tour in 2023 that included port calls in countries including South Africa and Brazil. It was accompanied by the support ship IRIS Makran, a converted oil tanker.
The US Treasury Department included both ships on a sanctions designation in February 2023 along with eight executives of an Iranian drone manufacturer that supplied the weapons to Russia for use against civilian targets in Ukraine.
At least 17 Iranian naval vessels have been sunk during the ongoing war, said US Adm Brad Cooper, who leads the American military's Central Command.
“We are also sinking the Iranian navy — the entire navy,” he said in a video message.
