The U.S. Coast Guard updated the toll of the shipwreck that occurred near Mona Island, Puerto Rico, this Tuesday: 49 people were rescued alive, three died, and another ten remain missing.
Survivors told authorities that 62 people were aboard the vessel when it capsized, according to reported by the Coast Guard of the southeastern United States.
The coast guard vessel Joseph Doyle transported the 49 rescued individuals to shore, where they were placed under the custody of agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue the investigations.
The vessel sank around 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, about ten nautical miles from Mona Island. However, the emergency was not known to authorities until noon on Monday, when the crew of the merchant ship Tripiti found four people in the water and alerted the San Juan Sector of the Coast Guard.
The testimony of those first survivors revealed the extent of the tragedy and triggered a large-scale search and rescue operation.
The balance disclosed on Monday was of two deceased and at least 40 people rescued. Tuesday's update raised the death toll to three and the number of survivors to 49, while ten people remain unaccounted for.
According to the Coast Guard, none of the occupants were wearing life jackets.
The survivors also reported that before the shipwreck, a fight broke out on board in which several people were seriously injured with a machete, a situation that may have led some occupants to jump into the water and attempt to swim to Mona Island.
U.S. authorities have not officially disclosed the nationality of the passengers nor confirmed the vessel's point of departure as of now.
Search efforts involve aerial and maritime units from the Coast Guard, the Puerto Rico Police, Air and Marine Operations of CBP, the Dominican Republic Air Force, and personnel from the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.
The Mona Passage, which separates the Dominican Republic from Puerto Rico, is a dangerous route used by boats carrying migrants attempting to reach U.S. territory irregularly.
At the beginning of September, the Coast Guard itself, Joseph Doyle, repatriated 51 migrants to the Dominican Republic following another interception near Puerto Rico. In July, 37 migrants were detained while attempting to enter the area illegally.
The search for the ten missing persons is still ongoing, according to the latest report from the Coast Guard.
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