The bodies of seventeen Haitian migrants were found dead during a rescue operation this weekend after a ship sank off the Bahamas. Twenty-five other people were rescued.
The boat would have “capsized in the face of a rough sea”, according to the press release from the Bahamian and Haitian authorities. He had left the most populated island of the Bahamas archipelago with around 60 people on board. Fifteen of the victims are women. A man and a child also lost their lives in this accident.
The Bahamas, a stopover for Haitian migrants
According to the first elements, the final destination of the migrants was Miami (Florida). “Seventeen compatriots died off the Bahamas and several [ont] missing,” Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry tweeted. “This new tragedy saddens the whole nation. »
Located between Cuba and Florida, the Bahamas archipelago is regularly used as a transit land by migrants seeking to reach the United States. Haiti is currently plagued by gang crime and food insecurity, causing a strong wave of migration. Refugees often stop over in the Bahamas or the Turks and Caicos Islands.