A boat carrying suspected migrants capsized off the coast of Puerto Rico on Thursday, resulting in nearly a dozen passenger deaths.
The Coast Guard confirmed the incident on social media, just hours after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection spotted about 20 people surrounding the boat near the uninhabited island of Desecheo. According to the Miami Herald, at least 11 people have been confirmed dead and 31 others were rescued; none of the victims appeared to be wearing life jackets.
Officials say it’s unclear how many passengers were on the boat, but the USCG reported that the group of known survivors included 11 women and 20 men; at least five women were among the dead.
Rescue crews continue to scour the waters in search of any more survivors. It’s reported that the victims’ bodies have since been sent to the Puerto Rico Forensic Sciences Institute, while the survivors were transported to northwestern town of Aguadilla. According to the Miami Herald, eight Haitian nationals were sent to the El Buen Samaritano hospital for medical treatment.
The USCG and CBP are are conducting the search alongside the Puerto Rico Police Department and other marine units.
“They’re on the scene trying to rescue as many people as they can,” USCG spokesman Ricardo Castrodad said. “We are always sending the message so that people understand the dangers associated with these trips, but unfortunately in this case we are already in a situation that we have to respond to.”
The incident took place less than a week after the USCG and Dominican navy rescued nearly 70 migrants who were attempting to cross the Mona Passage—a body of water that separates the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.
“Migrant operations on the high seas are challenging and carry risk to our operators just as it does the occupants of the vessels we are trying to rescue and intercept,” said USCG Rear Adm. Brendan C. McPherson, who is also director of Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast. “The weather, the wind, the sea state all incur risk to everyone on the water. We want to prevent the tragic loss of life at sea, and often we look at this mission like conducting a major search and rescue case where someone is actively trying not to be found.”
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