Six bodies found in St. Lawrence River near US-Canada border

Police in Canada said they have found the bodies of six people, including one child, in the St Lawrence River.

The bodies were found late Thursday afternoon by the Canadian Coast Guard and local police.

The first was found in a marsh in Tsi Snaihne in Akwesasne, a Mohawk territory located right between the US-Canada border.

Police said they are now working to identify all six people.

"Police are attempting to identify the deceased persons at this time and ascertain their status in Canada," a statement by the Akwesane Mohawk Police Service on Thursday said.

An autopsy will also be conducted to determine the cause of death, police said.

According to Canadian news outlets CBC and CTV, the child was found with a Canadian passport. Police could not provide information on the nationalities of the five adults.

The first body was located at around 17:00 local time (21:00 GMT) in a marsh near the US-Canada border, police said.

The bodies were found in the Quebec area of Akwesane, a Mohawk community whose territory includes parts of Ontario, Quebec and New York State. It is located about 120 km west of Montreal.

Akwesane police said they will continue to investigate and search the area with the help of Quebec and Ontario's provincial police air support units.

Bodies of people attempting to cross into Canada from the US and vice-versa have been found in recent months at other locations near the US-Canada border. It is unclear, however, why the six that were most recently found were in the area.