Haitian migrants feared dead in shipwreck

Haitian migrants feared dead in shipwreck
April 10 2015 at 09:33pm
By David Adams

Miami - As many as 40 Haitian migrants were feared dead after their ship bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands capsized in the Caribbean off Haiti's north coast, the US Coast Guard said on Friday. At least 21 dead bodies have been recovered since the ship went down early on Thursday morning, according to the Haitian government.

. . .

A US Coast Guard rescue helicopter crew joined the search on Friday morning, scouring Haiti's north coast between the cities of Cap Haitien and Port de Paix, Haiti, but did not find any signs of life, the Coast Guard added.

The Haitian government said the ship, a sailboat freighter carrying about 50 passengers headed for the Turks and Caicos Islands, sank near the coastal town of Le Borgne on the north coast. The boat apparently tried to turn back due to high seas and ran aground on a reef, the Haitian government said in a statement.

Migrants from Haiti, Cuba and other Caribbean countries frequently sail through the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas in an attempt to reach the United States, often in overloaded and unseaworthy vessels.

More:
http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/haitian-migrants-feared-dead-in-shipwreck-1.1843635#.VSg-oWdFCbw

(My emphasis.)