Scorching heat caused deaths to double at busiest US-Mexico border route

An family wades through the Rio Grande while crossing from Mexico into the United States on 30 September 2023 near Eagle Pass, Texas. Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images

Scorching summer temperatures caused the number of deaths along one of the busiest migrant routes into the US to more than double in the 2023 fiscal year that closed on Sunday, according to data from the US border patrol.

More than 100 of the 148 recorded deaths in the patrol’s El Paso sector were recorded between May and September when temperatures were at or above 100F (37.7C) for 44 consecutive days, the El Paso Times said on Tuesday.