A man who crossed the border into the U.S. illegally died after being abandoned by smugglers.

According to the U.S. Border Patrol , at about 4:30 p.m. Friday , agents encountered a man walking north near Highway 98. When approached by the Border Patrol agents the man told them that he and his cousin were being smuggled into this country illegally and then abandoned by the smugglers. Agents searched the area and located the mans cousin about 15 minutes later. First aid was rendered and local first responders , including firefighters and paramedics arrived on the scene and began life-saving measures for the man's heat-related issues but were unable to revive him. He was pronounced dead at the scene Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David Kim said , " An incident such as this clearly demonstrates how little regard human smugglers have for human life. Smugglers always put profit before human life and unfortunately the people who trust them with their safety are often mislead." Temperatures Friday afternoon peaked at 117 degrees in the Imperial Valley.