The body of one of two young brothers who vanished while their family was trying to cross the fast-moving Rio Grande into the US last week has been recovered, officials said.

US Customs and Border Protection agents found a husband and wife from the African country of Angola who had “illegally” crossed the Rio Grande about a mile west of the Del Rio International Bridge in Texas on May 2, according to the agency.

The couple told the agents that their two sons, ages 7 and 9, “were swept away by strong river currents while attempting to cross into the United States,” the press release read.

A boat patrol unit was sent out to the area where the children were last seen alive in an attempt to find them.

Border Patrol officials also contacted their counterparts in Mexico, asking for assistance with the search operation.

Meanwhile, the missing boys’ parents were taken into custody “and processed as per CBP guidelines,” according to the agency.

Then on Thursday, a body of a child matching the family’s description was found near the riverbank on the Mexico side of the Rio Grande by Mexican authorities.

The body of an unidentified adult man was also found nearby. The man’s connection to the boy is unknown at this time.

Border Patrol stated that agents were still trying to locate the Angolan couple’s other missing son.