San Salvador: A Salvadoran woman whose husband and toddler daughter drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande into Texas this week returned to her country on Friday ahead of the bodies of her lost loved ones, a heartbreaking photograph of whom prompted an outpouring of grief.

Tania Vanessa Avalos stands nearby as a government official speaks at a press conference at the airport after her arrival in San Salvador. Credit:AP

Tania Vanessa Avalos arrived in El Salvador with a family friend who had gone with them on their ill-fated journey to the United States. Visibly shaken, she did not comment. Officials say she has asked the media to respect her mourning and leave her alone.

Authorities decided for logistical reasons to transport by land the bodies of husband Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez, 25, and Valeria, 23 months, and they were expected to arrive on Sunday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mauricio Cabrera said the tragedy "has dismayed the national and global public opinion."