At least 15 Haitians dead after boat sinks off Turks and Caicos in shark-infested waters
The U.S. Coast Guard late Sunday suspended its search for Haitian migrants in the shark-infested waters off the Turks and Caicos Islands after reporting that 15 bodies had been recovered, and 14 survivors found. At least four bodies were still unaccounted for, the agency said in a tweet.
The Coast Guard had been providing assistance to the marine branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Police, which spent the day scouring the turquoise waters for Haitian migrants. The search-and-rescue operation was launched sometime after 8 a.m. Sunday when police were alerted that a twin-engine outboard boat smuggling undocumented migrants from Haiti had capsized off West Caicos, an uninhabited island in the British overseas territory.
Prior to the Coast Guard’s announcement, Turks and Caicos police reported that they had rescued 14 individuals and recovered 14 bodies, which were found floating in the water head down. The search was suspended but would resume at daybreak on Monday, the police announced.
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Botting said the incident is now under investigation to establish the circumstances of the vessel’s voyage and what happened to the craft.
In February, Bahamian authorities recovered the bodies of 28 Haitians after a boat smuggling them sank off the northern Bahamas. Some 17 individuals were rescued and taken into police custody. In response to that tragedy at sea, the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince launched a public service announcement warning Haitians not to risk their lives at sea.
Haiti has been mired in a worsening economic situation, which has stirred political tensions in recent weeks. The country’s prime minister was recently fired by the lower chamber of Deputies, and inflation is at the highest it has been in 11 years.
This story was originally published March 31, 2019 at 4:13 PM.
