(Reuters) - Border patrol agents discovered four charred bodies in rugged mountains near the Mexican border on Thursday, bringing the probable death toll from California's wildfires to 12, even as firefighters gained the upper hand in their five-day battle.
Agents found the badly burned remains, thought to be three males and a female, at the bottom of a rocky ravine in the mountains east of San Diego, about 3 miles ( 5 km) from the Mexican border.
Together with two other burned bodies found earlier Thursday in a house in San Diego county, the discovery doubled the probable death toll from the fires. At least 60 people have been injured.
As crews used a break in the weather to bring most of the fires under control, President George W. Bush surveyed the devastated areas and met with a few of the estimated 500,000 people who fled their homes in California's largest mass evacuation.
Bush, who was roundly criticized for his handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, flew over hard-hit San Diego in a helicopter with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and visited charred neighbourhoods.
"It really is important for me to come out here and see first hand the situation, and there's no question a lot of people are suffering, and there's no question there's been terrible losses," Bush said.
The four bodies found near the Mexican border were likely illegal immigrants who were overrun by flames as they walked through the rugged terrain. The remote area is often used by coyotes -- guides who smuggle people into the United States for profit.
They appeared to have died in the Harris fire, U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Matthew Johnson said.