Haiti

Search for survivors of capsized boat ends

Article published on the 2009-07-30 Latest update 2009-07-30 08:37 TU

A man next to a Haitian handmade boat used for fishing and transport.
(Photo: Reuters)

A desperate search for some 70 Haitian migrants missing after a boat capsized off the Turks and Caicos Islands has been called off after two days. US coast guards put the official death toll at 16 after 118 people were rescued. The wooden freighter sank late Sunday after it struck a reef and was shattered.

Some of the survivors made it to the shores of West Caicos island, where many were found clinging to sharp reefs surrounding the islands.

As early as Monday, local authorities had offered a grim prognosis about the chances of finding more survivors. Up to 200 people are believed to have crammed onto the boat, which was probably headed for the Bahamas or the south-eastern coast of the United States.

Survivors say the overloaded, rickety vessel left Haiti with about 160 people desperate to flee their deeply impoverished homeland. It stopped along the way, picking up more people. The boat capsized and sank about 3.7 kilometers south-east of West Caicos.