At least 3 boatpeople dead, Dominican Navy rescues 14 Haitians(Update3)

Santo Domingo.- At least three people drowned in the Mona Passage when their boat headed to Puerto Rico capsized , the Dominican Navy said Thursday.

It said it rescued 14 people, 10 of which were hospitalized with unspecified injuries.

The boatpeople had set off Wednesday from the beach at El cortecito, Higuey (east).

The Navy said the undocumented travelers reportedly came from Haiti and none of them speaks Spanish, adding that two vessels search for survivors in the area of the mishap.

One of the women who survived said each traveler paid 1,000 dollars to a Dominican who organized the trip.