13 Dead After Migrant Boat Capsizes Near Puerto Rico; U.S. Coast Guard Rescues 31

The U.S. Coast Guard said a makeshift migrant boat overturned on its way to Puerto Rico on Thursday, leaving at least 13 people dead.

Ricardo Castrodad, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard's San Juan sector, said they hoped to find more survivors after rescuing dozens, the Washington Post reported.

Castrodad noted that it was not clear how many people were on the overcrowded boat, and crews did not see any life jackets.

The Coast Guard said it heard shortly before noon that the aircrew of a Customs and Border Protection aircraft had seen the boat and people in the water. Authorities noted that the boat was found about 10 nautical miles north of Desecheo Island, a patch of land in the Mona Passage.

The Mona Passage is the strait between Puerto Rico and the Caribbean island, which includes the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Migrant Boat Near Puerto Rico

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 20 men and 11 women were rescued, the Guardian reported. Castrodad said the incident came less than a week after the U.S. Coast Guard and Dominican Navy rescued 68 people on Saturday in the Mona Passage.

He noted that one woman believed to be from Haiti died. The Coast Guard spokesman added that these voyages are "dangerous," "unsafe," and "they are grossly overloaded," with no lifesaving equipment available.

"It wouldn't really take much for any of these vessels to capsize," Castrodad said.

The Coast Guard has described the recent migrant boat that capsized as "suspected of taking part in an illegal voyage." The New York Times reported that most of the people on the boat were from Haiti, while two of the survivors were from the Dominican Republic.

Jeffrey Quiñones, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the boat set off from the Dominican Republic and was en route across the Mona Passage to the western side of Puerto Rico.

Quiñones noted that the migrant boat broke as it was not made for such a trip, adding that it could happen because a lot of people were also inside the boat.

Rescue Efforts Near Puerto Rico

Quiñones said 31 survivors were taken to Crash Boat Beach in Aguadilla, and among them were eight Haitians who were transported to a local hospital.

Betsy Rivera, the spokesperson for Puerto Rico's Institute of Forensic Sciences, noted that the agency received 13 bodies as a result of the sea accident. Autopsies will take place on Friday, and the agency aims to extract DNA to identify the dead.

The institute said it has been in touch with the Dominican Human Rights Committee to help identify family members on the neighboring island. In a statement, Rear Adm. Brendan C. McPherson of the Coast Guard noted that their top priority was saving lives.

McPherson said they were searching for survivors with all available assets, including airplanes, helicopters, and rescue boats from the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, and Puerto Rico Joint Forces of Rapid Response partners.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: ICYMI: 11 Dead, 31 Rescued After Boat Capsizes Near Puerto Rico - From 12NewsNow