The U.S. Coast Guard reported that it had rescued 49 people and was searching for 10 others after a boat carrying migrants capsized in open waters west of Puerto Rico. At least three bodies have been recovered since the vessel, which carried 62 passengers, overturned on Sunday night near Mona Island. Authorities said a passenger attacked others with a machete, causing serious injuries and forcing dozens to jump into the water.
Coast Guard spokesman Ricardo Castrodad said in a phone interview that most people aboard were from the Dominican Republic, while two are believed to be from Haiti. He said he did not know what prompted the attack, which "created a situation of panic." Castrodad said the number of victims could have been far higher had a passing vessel not reported the incident on Monday afternoon and helped rescue four people.
"They could all have easily died," he said. Helicopters flew over Mona Island and nearby areas on Tuesday as rescuers looked for the missing. A Coast Guard video showed at least two survivors in life jackets walking along the edge of the rocky island, one of them jumping into the water toward a rescuer as waves struck the ledge.
The incident is the latest involving makeshift boats attempting to cross the dangerous Mona Passage, which separates Puerto Rico from Hispaniola. In June 2022, 11 Haitian girls and women died when their boat capsized northwest of Puerto Rico.