At least 14 Haitians dead after boat sinks off Turks & Caicos
Turks and Caicos police on Monday are resuming a search-and-rescue operation for Haitian migrants after a boat with migrants board sinks in the British overseas territory.
At least 14 Haitians are dead after a twinengine outboard boat smuggling migrants to the Turks and Caicos capsized in shark-infested waters, the islands’ police force confirm.
Takara Bain, a spokeswoman with the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police, said 14 individuals were rescued before the search-andrescue operation was suspended late Sunday until daybreak Monday.
“Today we have utilized all of our marine components, with the support of other rescue services. The search and rescue operation is ongoing. We cannot tell when it will end as it will be determined by the number of recoveries
we make over the next day or so,” acting Police Commissioner, Trevor Botting said after four bodies and one survivor were found shortly before 6 p.m.
The islands’ police marine branch was alerted after 8 a.m. Sunday that a boat transporting undocumented migrants from Haiti had capsized off West Caicos, an uninhabited island in the British overseas territory.
“At this stage, it is unclear as to the total souls on board the vessel,” Botting said. “This is a tragic loss of life. We offer our condolences and sympathies to the families of those affected by this terrible incident.
“No journey is worth risking lives on the dangerous seas in these small vessels.”
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.
Jacqueline Charles: 305-376-2616, @jacquiecharles