The US Coast Guard in Puerto Rico confirmed this Friday that they are from Haitian nationality the five fatalities and the 68 survivors of the migratory tragedy recorded the day before in the waters of the island.
The migrants were traveling in an overloaded boat when they were forced by smugglers to jump into the water near Mona Island, west of Puerto Rico.
The Institute of Forensic Sciences also revealed today that the deceased are three men and two women, who have not been identified and whose autopsy has already been completed.
The bodies were transported to Puerto Rico by the marine units of the Joint Forces of Rapid Action of the local Police, after being recovered Thursday by personnel from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.
"Five lives were lost as a result of smugglers abandoning these people offshore in the dangerous waters surrounding Mona Island."Coast Guard Captain José Díaz denounced in a statement.
For his part, Coast Guard patrolman Joseph Napier completed the transfer of the 68 survivors (41 men, 25 women and two minors) to the Puerto Rican city of Mayagüez.
The Coast Guard said the survivors are likely to be returned to their country of origin.
The authorities did not reveal the nationality of the migrants yesterday, although they indicated that it is most likely that they were Dominicans or Haitians.
This new tragedy took place in the so-called Mona Canal, which separates the Dominican Republic of Haiti and it is a frequent migratory route.
Leonard Prophil, a Haitian priest residing in Puerto Rico and spokesman for the community on the island, told Efe that this event, along with others that have occurred in recent months, are due to the "difficult and sad situation" that exists in Haiti.
"Those trips are not going to stop as long as the situation continues like this"emphasized the priest of the San Mateo de Cangrejeros parish in Santurce, a sector in San Juan where a large community of Dominicans and Haitians resides.
On May 12, north of the Puerto Rican islet of Desecheo, there was the wreck of a boat which caused the death of eleven Haitian women.
The coast guards were able to rescue 38 people alive but were unable to find at least another dozen migrants who were also estimated to be traveling on that boat.
From October 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, the Coast Guard has conducted 72 illegal travel interdictions in the Mona Canal and waters near Puerto Rico.
A total of 1,919 non-US citizens, including 1,414 Dominicans and 404 Haitians, have been detained while trying to reach the Caribbean island.