NEAR THE US-CANADA BORDER, AN INDIAN FAMILY OF FOUR FREEZES TO DEATH.

New York/Toronto: In a terrible event, a family of four Indians, including an infant, perished in a suspected human smuggling operation on the Canadian side of the US border due to exposure to very cold weather.

The deaths of four persons - two adults, an adolescent, and an infant - were discovered on the Canadian side of the US/Canada border near Emerson on Wednesday, according to the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Ajay Bisaria, India's High Commissioner to Canada, confirmed the nationality of the four people who perished and termed the situation as a tragic tragedy.

"This is a tragic situation. An Indian consulate team is travelling to Manitoba today from @IndiainToronto to coordinate and assist. We'll engage with Canadian authorities to look into these troubling incidents "Bisaria sent out a tweet.

In a press conference on Thursday, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Jane MacLatchy announced the discovery to media.

"What I'm about to say will be difficult for many people to hear," she added, describing it as a "absolute and tragic disaster."

"At this very early point of the investigation, it looks that they all perished as a result of exposure to the cold," MacLatchy said, adding that the four persons are linked to the group captured on the American side of the border.

All four were within 9-12 metres of the border, she said.

The gang was "alone in the middle of a blizzard," according to MacLatchy, and "facing not just the frigid weather but boundless fields, enormous snowdrifts, and full darkness."

The temperature was 35 degrees below zero with a wind chill when the four victims were discovered, according to Canadian authorities.

According to Global News, police are referring to them as victims since there are concerns that the group's attempted border crossing was helped in some way and that they were left out in the bitter weather.

The victims are being identified, according to MacLatchy, but it looks they all perished from exposure to the cold at this time, according to the report.

On Wednesday morning, US Customs and Border Protection told Manitoba RCMP that a group of persons had entered into the United States near Emerson, and that one of the adults was carrying supplies meant for a newborn, but there was no baby with the group.

An immediate search was launched on both sides of the border, and the bodies of an adult male, an adult woman, and a child were discovered by that afternoon. Shortly after, the body of a young male in his mid-teens was discovered.

Late Thursday afternoon, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota issued a statement saying that Steve Shand, 47, of Florida, had been arrested and charged with human smuggling in connection with the incident.

According to the press announcement, Shand was travelling with two passengers who were confirmed to be undocumented foreign nationals from India.

Officers discovered cases of plastic cups, bottled water, bottled juice, and snacks inside the truck. Officers came found another group of five Indian nationals wandering while returning the trio to the border patrol post in North Dakota.

They claimed they had crossed the border on foot and expected to be picked up. According to the article, the gang guessed they had been trekking for more than 11 hours.

One of the members of the gang had a rucksack that he claimed he was carrying for a family of four from whom they had become separated, and it had supplies for children such as clothes, a diaper, and a toy.

According to the US Attorney's Office, the bodies have been tentatively identified as that family of four.

The RCMP stated that it is cooperating with US Customs and Border Protection as well as the Department of Homeland Security in the United States.

The Canada Border Services Agency said in a statement that it is cooperating with law enforcement partners, including its American colleagues, on the investigation.

In a statement, the Minister of Public Safety's office said: "The tragic deaths of four people attempting to cross the Canada-US border near Emerson, Manitoba, have shocked and saddened us. We send our heartfelt sympathies to their loved ones, and we are thinking of them during this terrible time."

Crossings from the United States into Canada are more common, according to officials in both nations. Following the election of former US President Donald Trump, the number of people crossing the border into Canada on foot surged in 2016.