Latest news with #JuanSalas
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- 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.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Boat carrying migrants capsizes off the coast of the Dominican Republic killing at least 4 people
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A boat carrying migrants capsized off the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic killing at least four people, authorities in the Caribbean nation said Saturday, as emergency personnel and the military searched for survivors. Seventeen people who were rescued, including a girl, received medical attention and were in good health, Juan Salas, director of the country's Civil Defense, said. A survivor reported that about 40 people were on the boat before it capsized. 'That happened close to the coast; it's possible some people swam out,' said Salas, who estimated the boat sank at a depth of 500 meters (1,640 feet) to 600 meters (1,970 feet). He added that the search was being hampered by strong waves and seabed conditions. The boat included migrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The number of illegal journeys to Puerto Rico by sea in Dominican Republic waters has increased significantly in the last few years. The International Organization for Migration documented at least 321 deaths and disappearances of migrants in the Caribbean in 2022, the highest number since 2014.
Associated Press
12-07-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Boat carrying migrants capsizes off the coast of the Dominican Republic killing at least 4 people
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — A boat carrying migrants capsized off the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic killing at least four people, authorities in the Caribbean nation said Saturday, as emergency personnel and the military searched for survivors. Seventeen people who were rescued, including a girl, received medical attention and were in good health, Juan Salas, director of the country's Civil Defense, said. A survivor reported that about 40 people were on the boat before it capsized. 'That happened close to the coast; it's possible some people swam out,' said Salas, who estimated the boat sank at a depth of 500 meters (1,640 feet) to 600 meters (1,970 feet). He added that the search was being hampered by strong waves and seabed conditions. The boat included migrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The number of illegal journeys to Puerto Rico by sea in Dominican Republic waters has increased significantly in the last few years. The International Organization for Migration documented at least 321 deaths and disappearances of migrants in the Caribbean in 2022, the highest number since 2014.
