Border agents rescue three in desert

BOULEVARD, Calif., July 15 (UPI) -- U.S. Border Patrol agents say they have rescued two Mexican women and a girl abandoned by smugglers in the California desert.

The three were suffering from heat exhaustion when found by agents Monday on the side of Interstate 8 in an area called Walker Canyon, about 70 miles east of San Diego, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Wednesday.

The group reportedly included a 36-year-old woman, her 12-year-old daughter and a 23-year-old companion. U.S. officials said they said they had been left behind by smugglers and had wandered alone in the desert for two days, running out of water before reaching the freeway.

The Union-Tribune said the trio were treated at a local hospital and had been released to immigration authorities, who would likely deport them.