At least 28 Haitians have drowned off the coast of Abaco in the Bahamas, in the latest tragedy at sea for people seeking to leave the Caribbean’s poorest economy.
In a statement on Sunday, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) said that after two days of dive operations, “a total of 17 persons have been rescued alive and 28 bodies have been recovered from the water”.
The incident took place on Saturday when the ship carrying the people from Haiti sank near Fowl Cay, 10km off the coast of Marsh Harbour, Abaco.
Fifteen survivors and 13 dead bodies were recovered on Saturday in a joint operation between the RBDF and coastguard of the United States. On Sunday, two more survivors were found alive on a nearby cay in addition to 15 bodies in the sunken vessel.
In a post on Twitter, the US embassy in Haiti described the ship as a vessel trafficking people out of Haiti, adding: “No journey is worth risking lives – please urge families and communities: Illegal migrant & smuggling operations are dangerous and frequently end in tragedy.”
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