A US Coast Guard spokesman said at least 11 people were killed and 31 rescued on Thursday when a ship capsized with an undetermined number of passengers off the coast of Puerto Rico on Thursday.
Spokesman Ricardo Castrodad said the rescue operation, which started hours ago in the wreckage area, about 18 km north of Desecheo island, continues with helicopters and patrol ships.
“There are a lot of active search sources on behalf of the Coast Guard and border police and other companies like Puerto Rico,” he said.
Most of the people rescued are from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, according to officials who suspect the ship was carrying illegal immigrants.
A border police helicopter reported that it sank in the morning after seeing people and a boat capsize at sea.
The Coast Guard said in a statement that the survivors did not appear to be wearing life jackets.
Desecheo is an uninhabited island in the La Mona channel that separates the Dominican Republic from Puerto Rico and connects the Caribbean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.
On Saturday, a Haitian woman died in the canal after a boat carrying 69 immigrants sank.
Other passengers were rescued by the US Coast Guard and the Dominican Navy.
source: Noticias
