NASSAU (Reuters) – Several people are dead after a migrant vessel capsized off the coast of The Bahamas, authorities said on Sunday, amid a continuing wave of sea migration toward the United States.
The Bahamas police said the boat capsized some 7 miles (11 kilometers) off the island of New Providence. An undetermined number of people have died.
Four women and 17 men were rescued, immigration minister Keith Bell said in an interview, adding that authorities have not yet confirmed the nationality of the migrants.
The Bahamas is a frequent transit route for Haitian migrants seeking to reach the United States. Dangerous sea voyages in rickety vessels have become increasingly common over the last year as Haitians flee poverty and rising gang violence.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Nassau and Brian Ellsworth in Miami; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
