Two dead and 40 rescued after boat capsizes near Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard reported on Monday that it rescued at least 40 individuals in open waters after their boat capsized several miles from a small, uninhabited island west of Puerto Rico. Two people were found deceased, and survivors indicated that an estimated 60 individuals were aboard the vessel, according to the agency. Rescue operations were ongoing as of Monday evening. Survivors spent over 12 hours in the water before a passing boat near Mona Island spotted them around noon on Monday and alerted authorities, leading to the rescue of four individuals at that time. The Coast Guard stated that the makeshift boat capsized late Sunday following an altercation during which some individuals were severely injured by a machete, prompting the group to enter the water without life vests. The origins of the individuals involved were not immediately clear, and a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson indicated that this information was unavailable. Migrants fleeing poverty and violence have historically traveled from Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, to Puerto Rico and other islands, navigating the perilous Mona Passage. Many undertake these journeys on makeshift vessels that can capsize in rough waters, with this incident marking the latest in a series of deadly voyages. In June 2022, 11 Haitian girls and women were buried in Puerto Rico after an overloaded boat capsized in open waters northwest of the U.S. territory. Last week, police in the Turks and Caicos Islands detained a makeshift boat carrying 60 Haitian migrants, while in June, another 240 migrants from Haiti were detained near the archipelago. Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti, where more than 3,050 individuals were reported killed from January to June, according to U.N. statistics. Armed groups are estimated to control 70% of Port-au-Prince and large areas in Haiti’s central region and beyond.