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Free Malaysia Today
23-07-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Dominican Navy resumes search after migrant boat capsizes
Rescuers recovering the body of a shipwreck victim at Juanillo Beach in the Dominican Republic. (AFP pic) SANTO DOMINGO : Rescue teams on Saturday resumed their search in difficult conditions for some 20 migrants missing after a boat capsized off the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic. The death toll from the Friday capsizing rose to six, Fernando Castillo, provincial director of Dominican civil defence, told AFP. The boat was headed for the US territory of Puerto Rico carrying between 40 and 50 people, with 17 rescued. Among the bodies recovered so far were a woman, three men and a child. The deceased are Dominican and Haitian nationals. Strong waves, large amounts of sargassum seaweed and dust clouds blowing in from the Sahara desert were hampering the search efforts, said civil defence director Juan Salas. 'Today the biggest concern is the sargassum, which makes it difficult to see any body or any element in the water,' the official told AFP. The Dominican navy said the migrants 'were trying to travel illegally to Puerto Rico' from the eastern end of the Dominican Republic, near Punta Cana. They were being ferried in a so-called 'yola' boat, which is generally constructed from wood or fibreglass and does not comply with safety regulations, according to authorities. Migrants pay as much as US$7,000 for a one-way trip to Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with crisis-torn Haiti. The irregular migration route has become increasingly popular in the last decade.
New Indian Express
14-07-2025
- New Indian Express
At least seven dead after migrant boat capsizes off Dominican Republic
Rescuers found a seventh body on Sunday in the search for survivors and victims, after a boat carrying migrants capsized days ago off the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic. The boat was heading for US territory Puerto Rico on Friday when it sank, according to the emergency responders of the Dominican Civil Defense. "We are finishing today with the discovery of another body," Fernando Castillo, provincial director of the Civil Defense, told AFP as rescue efforts entered the third day. So far, rescue teams have found 17 survivors who were Haitian and Dominican nationals, including one child. "We are continuing the search as bodies continue to appear, but we don't know exactly how many people were on board the boat," added Castillo. Several survivors said the boat was carrying between 40 and 50 people -- and they'd seen others alive in the water when their boat sank Friday -- but authorities are unable to confirm the exact number of passengers. Rescue teams will resume the search on Monday and then assess whether to continue operations.
