[pct-l] A word of warning...

[Travis Williams <travisaw@jps.net>]

It was a rough time on the trail out of Mexico yesterday, regardless of
your motives or destination.  April hikers should beware; winter isn't
over yet.

Storm Kills 2 Illegal Immigrants

                     By BEN FOX Associated Press Writer

                     ALPINE, Calif. (AP) -- An overnight
                     snowstorm in a mountainous route used by
                     illegal immigrants overtook dozens of people,
                     killing at least two and prompting a major
                     rescue effort for the others.

                     The U.S. Border Patrol got a call about 1:30
                     a.m. today that a group of people, believed to
                     be illegal immigrants from Mexico, was
                     stranded in the mountains about 40 miles east of
                     San Diego, said Bill Strassberger, spokesman
                     for the regional office of the federal
                     Immigration and Naturalization Service.

                     The Border Patrol initially found seven people,
                     but soon found other groups of immigrants who
                     were suffering from the cold. By daylight,
                     agents had rescued 35 people. Two were
                     confirmed dead, apparently from exposure,
                     Strassberger said, and agents expected the toll
                     to grow.

                     ``They tried to cross and a freak snowstorm
                     blew in,'' Strassberger said.

                     Authorities with the Border Patrol, U.S. Coast
                     Guard, U.S. Forest Service, California
                     Highway Patrol and San Diego County Sheriff's
                     Department used dogs, helicopters and officers
                     to scour the Cleveland National Forest south of
                     Interstate 8.

                     The border patrol brought in paramedic teams
                     to provide first aid and buses to transport the
                     people to hospitals, Border Patrol agent Ralph
                     Thomas said.

                     ``We have a full-scale rescue operation going
                     on,'' Strassberger said. ``Anyone available is
                     active and out there.''

                     There were several different groups, not one
                     large group of men and women, Strassberger
                     said. He didn't know if there were any children.

                     ``Smugglers take them into rugged areas to
                     cross and the weather can change there very
                     quickly,'' he said.

                     The National Weather Service reported today
                     that up to 16 inches of snow fell in the
                     mountains in the past two days and temperatures
                     were in the low 30s overnight.

                     More than 140 illegal immigrants died last year
                     crossing from Mexico into San Diego and
                     Imperial counties. Since 1994, when the federal
                     government increased patrols along the border
                     at San Diego, migration has pushed to the more
                     treacherous mountains and desert east of the
                     city.

                     AP-NY-04-02-99 1348EST

                     Copyright © Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This
                     material may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten, or
                     redistributed.


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