WASHINGTON:  A father and his 23-month-old daughter drowned in the Rio Grande River while they were trying to cross into the United States.

Their bodies were found with face downwards in murky waters littered with reeds and discarded beer bottles on the Mexican side of the Grande River.

According to Mexican newspaper, La Jornada, the young girl, Angie Valeria M., and her father Oscar Alberto Martínez were from El Salvador, and died as they tried to cross into the United States.

Martínez had crossed the Grande River and turned around to get his wife when his 23-month-old daughter saw him swimming away and jumped after him, CNN reported.

Unfortunately, a strong current swept over and drowned them, Julia Le Duc, the photographer who captured the image of the pair, wrote for Mexican newspaper, La Jornada.

Tania, the man’s wife, watched her husband and daughter drown at the Mexican border, said the newspaper.

The haunting image offers a glimpse into the suffering asylum seekers face on the US-Mexico border.

(Agencies)