A Mexican migrant woman has died after she got stuck upside down trying to scale the US border fence, authorities said.

The 32-year-old woman was found dangling in a harness on a section of the fence near Douglas, Arizona, late Monday.

“She was trapped upside down for a significant amount of time,” the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities said the woman climbed to the top of the fence but became trapped in her harness as she tried to maneuver down on the US side.

It appeared her foot or leg became entangled, the sheriff’s office added.

She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, and an autopsy is being carried out to determine the exact cause of her death.

“These types of incidents are not political, they are humanitarian realities that someone has lost a loved one in a senseless tragedy,” Sheriff Mark Dannels said.

“We have to do better in finding solutions to the challenges facing our border, and we have to do it for the right reasons. Regardless of opinions, it is the facts that should direct our progress and we will keep working towards a shared goal of border safety and security.”