TORONTO: Police in Canada have said they recovered the bodies of two more migrants who drowned in the St Lawrence River while attempting to enter the US from Canada illegally, taking the death toll to eight, including members of an Indian family.

The bodies were found on Friday in a marsh on the riverbank near Akwesasne, a community which straddles Quebec, Ontario and New York state. One other person is still missing.

Police say the deceased — believed to be two families of Indian and Romanian descent — were trying to cross into the United States from Canada. Among them were two children under the age of three, both Canadian citizens.

“Unfortunately, these situations happen. It’s not something new,” Akwesasne Mohawk Police chief Shawn Dulude said.

“We’ve seen it happen in the past, and hopefully as we move forward… it’s something we can one day eliminate,” the officer said.

Akwesasne police are working with Immigration Canada to assist with identifying the victims and notifying the next of kin. They are also increasing surveillance on the river, it said.

The victims are believed to have been an Indian family and a Romanian family who were attempting to cross into the US, police said. According to police, there has seen an up-tick in human smuggling into the US Ryan Brissette, a public affairs officer with US Customs and Border Patrol, says the agency had seen a “massive up-tick in encounters and apprehensions” at the border.