Police find 6 bodies, including 1 child, in St. Lawrence River

The bodies of six people, including one child, were found in the St. Lawrence River Thursday afternoon after an air search involving the Canadian Coast Guard, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police said.

CTV News confirmed the deceased child was found with a Canadian passport. 

The police service said the first body was found around 5 p.m. in a marsh in Tsi Snaihne (Snye) in Akwesasne, a Mohawk territory that straddles Quebec, Ontario and New York state.

• READ THE LATEST: Deceased found in St. Lawrence River were trying to cross U.S. border: police 

Police are waiting on autopsy results to determine the cause of death of the six deceased.

"Police are attempting to identify the deceased persons at this time and ascertain their status in Canada. There is no threat to the public at this time," police said in a news release Thursday. 

Maj. Trevor Reid, a spokesperson for the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Trenton, said that a crew on board a Canadian Armed Forces Griffon helicopter discovered an overturned boat in the area where the bodies were located. 

Police confirmed that the discovery of the bodies followed a search for a missing person that also started Thursday. 

Authorities will search for possible additional victims on Friday. Quebec provincial police (SQ) will assist the search and are sending a helicopter, special investigators and divers to the site. 

Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said he is "monitoring the situation closely" on Twitter.

Friday morning, officials still hadn't confirmed whether the people on the boats were attempting to cross the border.