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Refugees in Haiti (archive image)
Photo: LUIS ACOSTA/ AFP
At least 17 Haitians have died when a boat capsized off the Bahamas.
Among them were 15 women and a small child, Prime Minister Philip Davis said at a press conference on Sunday.
According to this, the twin-engine boat started at night (local time) from the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau, and capsized shortly afterwards, a good ten kilometers off the coast, probably due to stormy seas.
There were probably around 60 people on board, Davis said.
The destination was probably the US city of Miami.
25 people were rescued and a search is being made for other possible victims.
Presumably it is about people smuggling, it is being investigated.
Nassau is about 300 kilometers from Miami.
The number of illegal border crossings from Mexico to the United States has been particularly high in recent months.
In addition, there are attempts to reach the USA by sea from Caribbean countries such as Haiti and Cuba – those who are apprehended by the Coast Guard are usually quickly sent back.
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, most migrants have also been turned away at the land border without being able to apply for asylum - a right enshrined in international law as well as in US law.
Many Haitians recently fled poverty, gang violence and political chaos in their homeland, the poorest country on the American continent.
Since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse over a year ago, there have been no elections and the crime has not been solved.
According to the Witness at the Border organization, more than 24,000 people have been deported to Haiti from the United States since September 19.
til/dpa
