Eight bodies were pulled from a marshy area of a river along the U.S.-Canada border, officials said.

The deceased individuals were believed to be attempting to cross into the United States illegally, according to a March 31 news release from the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Services in Canada.

The individuals were believed to be from two families, Deputy Chief of Police Lee-Ann O’Brien said during a news conference posted on Facebook.

“Our prayers and thoughts go out to the victims and their families,” Akwesasne’s director of public safety said in another press conference, according to Akwesasne TV, adding that it is “a very sad situation.”

Canadian authorities received reports of people shouting near the St. Lawrence River, which straddles the border between Quebec and New York, on the evening of March 29, officials said, according to Akwesasne TV. Responding officials patrolled the shoreline but were unable to find anyone.

An aerial search conducted on March 30 led police to discover six bodies in the river, officials said.

Two more bodies — an infant with Canadian citizenship and a female believed to be an Indian national — were found on March 31, officials said.

Authorities are working with Homeland Security and Canada to confirm the identities of the victims and inform their next of kin, officials said.

Toxicology tests and post-mortems are being conducted to determine what caused the deaths, officials said.

The investigation remains ongoing, officials said.

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