Bodies found on Mona Island after migrant boat disaster
Five migrants drowned as smugglers forced them off boat
The dead bodies of five migrants washed up on Mona Island, Puerto Rico, after a chaotic smuggling operation, officials revealed on Thursday. Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Park Rangers discovered the bodies, while 66 survivors – including two minors – were safely brought ashore.
“The smugglers essentially forced the migrants to disembark, and it appears that five drowned in the process,” said Jeffrey Quinones, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) public affairs officer. The smugglers then fled the scene, leaving many questions about how many were on board.
Majority of migrants believed to be Haitians fleeing violence
Authorities believe most of those onboard were Haitians escaping escalating gang violence and kidnappings back home. Many attempt dangerous sea crossings across the northern Caribbean, hoping to reach the United States.
Since March 2020, Title 42 – a pandemic-era US rule – has blocked most asylum claims at the southern border, leading to mass deportations back to Haiti despite the country’s ongoing crisis.
Tragic pattern of deadly Caribbean crossings
- Just days earlier, 17 migrant bodies were recovered and 25 rescued in the Bahamas after a boat capsized. Authorities continue a criminal investigation.
- In May, 11 Haitian women drowned near Puerto Rico when their boat capsized; 38 were rescued.
- In March, a wooden boat carrying 300 Haitians capsized off Florida’s coast, with many needing medical aid.
Mona Island: A smugglers’ hotspot
Mona Island, nestled between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, is a known smuggling route. Migrants, mostly Dominican and Haitian, are often abandoned there by traffickers. “They leave people on Mona Island, making them think they are already in Puerto Rico,” explained Joel Seijo, spokesman for Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.
According to US Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad, at least two helicopters and two patrol boats were dispatched to the scene following the tragedy.
