Migrant boat capsized near Puerto Rico, at least 11 people died, 38 people were rescued

This is information provided by a US Coast Guard official.

A crew of US Customs and Border Protection on the morning of May 12 (US time) discovered the ship carrying migrants and people in distress in waters about 10 nautical miles from the island of Desecheo, Puerto Rico. to the North, the US Coast Guard said in a press release. The migrants on board were not wearing life jackets.

US forces pulled 31 survivors out of the water, a 7th Coast Guard spokesman told CNN. He said, 11 bodies have been found.

The search and rescue operation is still ongoing, the agency said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Puerto Rican police were at the scene, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, on May 13, the US Coast Guard found seven more survivors of the capsized ship carrying Haitian migrants, bringing the total number of people rescued to 38.

A US Coast Guard spokesman confirmed that the ship was first discovered on May 12 in the north of Desecheo island, Puerto Rico, carrying mainly Haitian migrants and two citizens of the Dominican Republic.

A spokesman told Reuters: “Of these survivors, eight are still hospitalized. Search efforts continue.”

The US Coast Guard saves people from the water after a boat capsized about 10 miles north of Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico (Image: US Customs and Border Protection)

The incident comes amid a growing number of Haitians and other migrants trying to cross the treacherous sea route to the United States. Between October 2021 and March 2022, 571 Haitians and 252 people from the Dominican Republic were detained in waters around Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, according to US Customs and Border Protection. .

In 2021, 310 Haitians and 354 Dominicans were arrested, while 22 Haitians and 313 Dominicans were arrested in 2020.

The incident comes less than a week after the US Coast Guard and the Dominican navy rescued 68 migrants at Mona Passage, a dangerous area between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. A woman believed to be from Haiti was killed in the incident.

Those rescued on May 12, including 11 women and 20 men, were taken to Puerto Rico, eight of whom were treated at a local hospital, according to Puerto Rican authorities.