At least five people have drowned and 66 others have been rescued after a boat suspected of belonging to smugglers left them in waters between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the US Coast Guard said Thursday.
Rescuers continue to search for possible survivors around a nature reserve on Mona Island, about 70km west of the Puerto Rico coast. All five bodies were found in the water, the US Coast Guard said, adding that two minors were among the 66 people rescued.
Dozens of deaths in a few months
The total number of people on board the ship or their nationality has not been disclosed.
Dozens of people have died in the Caribbean in recent months trying to reach the United States, Puerto Rico being a US territory. Many of the victims of the recent tragedies came from Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the Americas and mired in a deep political, economic and security crisis.
On Sunday, 17 Haitian immigrants died and 25 were rescued after their boat capsized near the Bahamas as authorities say it was trying to reach Florida.
Sea currents are strong in the Mona Passage, which separates Puerto Rico from Hispaniola, the island where Haiti is located to the west and the Dominican Republic to the east. In May, 11 migrants died in this area after their boat capsized.
Source: BFM TV
