The United States Coast Guard suspended the search for the ten individuals who are still missing after the sinking of a vessel with 62 occupants in the Mona Passage, following four days of operations during which 49 survivors were rescued and three bodies were recovered.
The San Juan Sector reported on Thursday that operations have been suspended pending further developments or information that would allow them to resume.
During the operation, aerial, maritime, and ground units conducted searches for 78 consecutive hours and covered over 2,000 square nautical miles, an area that, according to the Coast Guard, exceeds half the surface area of Puerto Rico.
“Our condolences to the families of those missing following this tragic shipwreck in the Mona Passage,” expressed Commander Matthew Romano, head of response for the San Juan Sector and coordinator of the search and rescue mission.
Romano highlighted the joint efforts of the Coast Guard, other U.S. agencies, the forces of the Dominican Republic, and the crew of a civilian vessel that participated in the initial rescues.
The final balance of the search operation remains, therefore, at 49 people rescued alive, three deceased, and ten missing.
On Tuesday, the Coast Guard vessel Joseph Doyle transported the 49 survivors to Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, where they were handed over to agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Ramey Sector Border Patrol.
The three recovered bodies were handed over to the Institute of Forensic Sciences of Puerto Rico.
The new information also provides details about the nationalities of those traveling on the vessel. Preliminary reports indicate that the majority of the occupants were Dominicans and that at least two were Haitians.
HSI is conducting an ongoing investigation into the possible criminal aspect of the case and is working to confirm the identity and nationality of all individuals involved.
A fight with a machete before the shipwreck
According to the survivors, around 62 people left the Dominican Republic on an improvised and overcrowded boat headed for Puerto Rico.
The vessel capsized around 11:00 p.m. on Sunday in the waters of the Mona Passage.
The testimonies gathered by the authorities indicate that, before the shipwreck, a violent altercation occurred on board in which several people were injured with a machete. Amidst the chaos, some occupants jumped into the sea and attempted to swim towards Mona Island.
Subsequently, the Coast Guard raised the number to 49 survivors and three dead, while continuing an extensive operation to locate the remaining ten individuals.
The agency confirmed on Tuesday that the survivors placed the total number of occupants at 62 and that efforts were ongoing to find the missing.
The operation involved Coast Guardsmen Joseph Doyle and Joseph Tezanos, helicopters and other aircraft from the Coast Guard, units from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Puerto Rico Police, the Civil Air Patrol, and resources from the Navy and Air Force of the Dominican Republic, among other agencies.
The Coast Guard also reiterated its warning about the risks of attempting to reach U.S. territory using improvised vessels for irregular migration across the Caribbean.
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