Highlights
- At least 17 bodies were recovered after a boat carrying Haitian migrants capsized in the Bahamas.
- The Bahamian authorities have rescued 25 people so far.
- A criminal investigation begun into the suspected human smuggling operation.
Boat capsizes in the Bahamas: At least 17 bodies were recovered after a boat carrying Haitian migrants capsized in the Bahamas on Sunday. The Bahamian authorities have rescued 25 people so far, and it wasn’t clear if there were any people missing after the boat sank about seven miles from New Providence, reported the news agency AP.
According to a statement issued by Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis, the dead included 15 women, one man and an infant. He said the people rescued were taken for observation by health workers. Davis said a criminal investigation had begun into the suspected human smuggling operation. He extended his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragedy. He said, “My government, from the time it came to office, has warned against these treacherous voyages.”
Investigators had determined that a twin-engine speed boat left the Bahamas about 1 a.m. carrying as many as 60 people, apparently bound for Miami. Governments in the region, including the United States, have reported a surge in the number of Haitians detained trying to enter other countries.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he sympathized with the parents of the victims. “This new drama saddens the whole nation,” he said. “I launch, once again, an appeal for national reconciliation in order to solve the problems that are driving away, far from our soil, our brothers, our sisters, our children.”
A year after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse last July, gang violence has grown worse and Haiti has gone into a freefall that has seen the economy tumble. Attempts to form a coalition government have faltered, and efforts to hold general elections have stalled. The turmoil has led many people to flee the country of more than 11 million in search of a better and safer life.
Several sinkings involving migrants have occurred in the Caribbean this year, including one in May in which 11 people were confirmed dead and 38 were saved off Puerto Rico. Another incident in January saw one man rescued and another confirmed dead after a boat carrying 40 migrants went down off Florida, with the missing never found.
(With inputs from AP)
