Deadly capsize of a migrant ship off Puerto Rico

Published on: 05/13/2022 – 04:41 A ship carrying migrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic capsized on Thursday off the coast of Puerto Rico. At least 11 bodies were recovered and 31 people were saved. The research continues. Eleven bodies were discovered and 31 people rescued during a large rescue operation which continued in the evening after the capsize of a ship off the coast of Puerto Rico, announced Thursday May 12 the American Coast Guard. overturned, whose initial number of occupants is not known – migrants according to the authorities – had been spotted at midday with several people in the water who did not appear to be equipped with a life jacket. The guards -coasts then dispatched several helicopters and a boat to the area concerned, about 18 km from the desert island of Desecheo, west of Puerto Rico. As of 6 p.m. (2200 GMT), rescuers had rescued 11 women and 20 men, according to Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad. “Illegal crossing” US Border Patrol had earlier said it was mainly migrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Coast Guard had meanwhile indicated in a statement that it “suspected” the ship “of having undertaken an illegal crossing”. The search, which also involves teams from the police and the Puerto Rican Coast Guard, is continuing, said Ricardo Castrodad.The desert island of Desecheo is in the Mona Channel between Puerto Rico and the island of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A Haitian woman had already lost her life there on Saturday, after the sinking of a boat carrying 69 migrants. Hundreds of Haitians managed to reach Florida during the month of March, while more than a hundred had been intercepted near the Bahamas by the American coast guards. With AFP