Status: 07/24/2022 8:35 p.m
At least 17 people have died in a boat accident off the Bahamas. They are believed to be Haitians trying to get to the United States. 25 survivors could be rescued.
At least 17 people have died when a boat capsized off the Bahamas. According to the authorities, 25 people were saved. According to Migration Minister Keith Bell, they are Haitians.
The twin-engine boat crashed at night (local time) a good ten kilometers off the coast of the most populous island in the Bahamas, New Providence. It is feared that there could be more victims. Prime Minister Philip Davis said there were up to 60 people on board the ship. Bell said “we mourn the loss of people who had been searching for a better life”.
The body of a drowned migrant is taken to a morgue. It is not yet clear how many people died in the accident.
Image: REUTERS
Route for many migrants from the Caribbean
The Bahamas is on a route often used by migrants from Caribbean countries like Haiti or Cuba to get to the United States. New Providence, where the capital Nassau is located, is about 300 kilometers from the Florida coast.
A relatively large number of migrants are currently trying to come to the USA. The number of illegal border crossings from Mexico to the United States has been particularly high in recent months. In addition, there are attempts to reach the USA from Caribbean countries by sea. Anyone apprehended by the Coast Guard is usually sent back quickly. Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, most migrants have also been turned away at the land border without being able to apply for asylum – a right enshrined in international law as well as in US law.