Border Patrol canines aid rescue of illegal alien stranded in desert

An illegal alien was found alive in the desert Friday after what U.S. Border Patrol officials called an "exhausting 11-hour search."

For the first time, Border Patrol canines trained in search and rescue helped track the man to an area nine miles southeast of Sentinel.

"They did an outstanding job," said Jerry Wofford, a spokesman for the Yuma sector. "They allowed agents to move more quickly across the rough terrain."

This was also the Border Patrol's first rescue this year since the weather got warmer.

The search began at about 2:30 a.m. Friday, when a concerned citizen spotted two men at a Sentinel rest area. They looked weak and dehydrated.

With blisters on their feet, they told agents they illegally crossed the border five days ago, Wofford said. They also said that hours earlier, they left behind a friend who was complaining of cramps and couldn't go on.

The rescued man, said to be "coherent," was being treated for severe dehydration later in the day at Yuma Regional Medical Center.