El Paso Fire Department Water Recovery Team Retrieve Body

The El Paso Fire Department's water recovery team located a body after a call from Border Patrol.

Around 1 p.m. on Sunday, the El Paso Fire Department was called after Border Patrol agents discovered a body in a canal near the 10000 block of Southside Road. According to KVIA, the place where the body was located was the Jonathan W. Rogers Water Treatment Plant. Border Patrol agents called 911 and firefighters were able to spot a person at the canal's edge.

Firefighters then called the Water Rescue team to recover the body. In a joint effort, the El Paso Fire Department, El Paso Police and Border Patrol worked together to recover the body. The deceased was a male of an unknown age.

Water Rescue Captain Kristian Menendez and the El Paso Fire Department want the public to remember how dangerous water canals can be:

“The canal system is meant to move water quickly. At the surface the water appears to be moving slowly, but the center of the canal is the fastest moving part. Also many times many of the people who jump into the canal system believe that because the water is shallow they can make it across easily. The force of the water is such that it pushes you down stream and requires good swimming techniques.”