Bodies of migrant father, daughter who drowned in Rio Grande photo headed home

The bodies of a Salvadoran father and his young daughter who drowned crossing the Rio Grande began their journey home on Thursday.

A photographer captured an image this week of Oscar Alberto Martinez and 23-month-old Angie Valeria Martinez face down in murky waters littered with weeds. The photograph shook viewers worldwide and was a reminder of the harsh realities of the migration crisis and risks taken to reach the southern U.S. border.

The bodies were handed over on Wednesday to Tania Avalos, who is Martinez’s wife and the child’s mother, in Mexico. They left Matamoros, Mexico, on Thursday.

Their bodies will be driven to Monterrey in the state of Nuevo Leon, which is about a four-hour drive. From Monterrey, the bodies will be flown San Salvador, El Salvador, on a commercial flight, according to the Salvadoran foreign ministry.

It is not clear if the flight will leave Thursday night or on Friday morning.

The family is requesting for authorities to guarantee their privacy on the journey.

Funeral arrangements have already been made.