Panama: 5 Dead, 1 Missing After Migrant Smuggling Boat Capsizes

Panama authorities have pulled several bodies of drowned migrants off the Caribbean Coast after the boat transporting them to avoid going through the perilous Darien Gap capsized due to bad weather.

According to the Associated Press, at least five of the migrants died after the boat capsized, with one still reportedly missing. The capsized migrant boat reportedly carried 27 people, mostly Afghans. The incident happened d off the Guna Yala Indigenous area on Wednesday,

Two of those who were confirmed dead were women, while another one was a child. Panama's Public Safety Ministry stated that bad weather often causes such accidents to happen during this time of year, especially as more and more clandestine migrant smuggling attempts are happening as people are desperate to reach the US-Mexico border to get a better life.

Panamanian authorities then released a video that showed the capsized boat already upside down on a rocky coast. It was beside the bodies of some migrants. They also claimed that the failed migrant smuggling attempt may have been orchestrated by one of Colombia's most infamous drug cartels, Clan del Golfo.

"The traffickers send them out to sea regardless of bad weather and the rough seas and without life jackets," Panama Public Safety Minister Juan Pino told the Associated Press. "They come from so far to die on a route that by sea and through the jungle is full of risks."

Migrants Using Panama as a Transit Country To Get to US-Mexico Border

The Darien Gap is a thick jungle-covered area between Colombia and Panama. However, this is considered the most treacherous part of the journey that migrants must make in their effort to reach the United States.

Many of these migrants arrive in countries like Venezuela and Brazil before they make their trek north. One of the countries they will be passing by is Panama, where much of the Darien Gap is. However, to avoid that jungle, many choose to hire smugglers to get them from Colombia to Panama illegally.

Panama's border police agency, Senafront, released a statement obtained by Reuters regarding the incident, and it stated, "Irregular migrants were allegedly being transported near the Carreto area by criminals who recklessly insist on risking the lives of these migrants in a dangerous sea area."

Searched for Those Aboard the Capsized Migrant Boat Off Panama Continues

Even with one person still missing, Panama authorities are continuing their search, with Senafront head Ruben Moreno stating, "Search patrols have been deployed and the corresponding coordination is being carried out with the public ministry (prosecutor's office) and migration authorities to recover the bodies, rescue survivors, and pursue the traffickers."

Moreno also revealed that the incident happened near the border with Colombia, in an area known for its strong waves, which were made even stronger by the bad weather that was happening at that time, according to The Tico Times.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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