TIJUANA (Border Report) — Federal agents from Mexico’s National Institute of Migration rescued a nine-year-old boy and his parents from the fast-moving Tijuana River that had expanded due to the torrential rains in the region.

According to rescuers, early Wednesday morning, the family had bedded down along the concrete-lined canal that leads the river into the United States, when they noticed the rising water was overwhelming them.

Agents happened to be in the area doing routine inspections for migrants who might be in need of assistance when they reportedly heard people screaming.

They discovered the couple from Angola who were holding on to their child to keep him from getting swept by the current.

Rescuers said they used ropes to pull out the child first, followed by the mom and then the father.

Initially, according the agents, the language barrier delayed the rescue, but ultimately the parents figured out what the rescuers wanted to do.

The family was turned over to a state family service agency wet, but unharmed.

Mexican immigration officials urged other migrants and residents to stay away from the Tijuana River especially now that the water level is extremely high and fast moving.