Between 10 and 14 migrants have gone missing after their boat overturned in turbulent waters between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. A Coast Guard spokesman said that four survivors were found clinging to the capsized boat, yet two dead bodies were also located near the vessel. In addition, the Coast Guard said that most of the passengers were Cubans and Dominicans.The Mona Passage is an 80-mile strait that separates the Dominican Republic from Puerto Rico. It’s a popular route for some migrants and is as an alternative to crossing the U.S.-Mexico border:
The migrants come through the highly traveled Mona Passage between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Over the last year, 4,300 illegal immigrants have been caught. [In 2006], almost 3,000 have been taken into custody. Most are Dominicans, but increasingly the migrants are Cubans — some 660 [in 2006]…
No one knows for sure how many have died trying to cross the treacherous, 3000-foot deep channel, but it's estimated that as many as 10,000 people attempt to cross it every year.
Image- Georgetown University (“Dominicans crossing the Mona Passage in a yola.”)
Sources- Canadian Press, Dominican Today, Wikipedia, CBS News
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