Woman with harness became trapped, died while trying to cross U.S.-Mexico border wall

(WAND) - A woman trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border wall lost her life after her leg became entangled while she tried to use a harness to lower herself, a local sheriff's office said.

The attempted crossing happened on April 11 in Cochise County, Ariz., authorities said, when the 32-year-old woman became "trapped upside down for a significant amount of time" while trying to climb the fence.

NBC News reports the woman was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The Mexican consulate was notified.

The death was called a "senseless tragedy" by Cochise County Sheriff Mark Daniels.

"We have to do better in finding solutions of the challenges facing our border, and we have to do it for the right reasons," he said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows over 8,000 deaths are known to have occurred involving people trying to cross the border between the U.S. and Mexico between 1998 and 2020.