Rough seas halt search for 60 missing Dominican boatpeople (Update)

Nagua, Dominican Republic.- The high swells from Monday’s rough seas forced rescuers to suspend the search for nearly 60 of the 95 boatpeople missing since their makeshift yola boat hit reefs and sank Sunday, a few miles from Matancita beach (northeast), while headed illegally to Puerto Rico.

Update

The Navy on Monday afternoon denied reports that the search for possible survivors of the mishap had been suspended

Navy Intelligence director Luis Castro Hermón affirmed that the search and rescue effort continues, despite the bad weather in the zone.

Authorities have recovered three bodies thus far, while 30 others people managed to swim ashore.

Civil Defense of Nagua, home to some of the survivors, had resumed the search early today but suspended it on the strong beach surf near the area of the mishap, and some of the survivors affirm not knowing their fellow travelers’ whereabouts.