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BiggerSargassum and Saharan dust hamper search for missing people in Juanillo shipwreck
Civil Defense members recover the body of a shipwrecked victim on Juanillo Beach, near Punta Cana, with a large mass of sargassum in the background. ( CIVIL DEFENSE )
Rescue teams resumed their search Saturday for at least twenty missing people after a boat capsized off the coast of Juanillo Beach. Still, they reported difficulties due to the presence of sargassum, strong waves, and poor visibility.
The accident that occurred on Friday has so far left four dead. Civil Defense reiterated the death toll at 17.
Between 40 and 50 migrants were on board the boat, according to several rescued individuals, including Dominican and Haitian citizens.
Strong waves, the presence of sargassum (seaweed) beds, and clouds of dust from the Sahara Desert have hampered the search efforts, Civil Defense director Juan Salas told AFP.
“Today, the biggest concern is sargassum, which makes it difficult to see any body or object in the water,” the official said.
Additionally, Saharan dust, which typically drifts toward the Caribbean between May and September, has impacted the visibility of aircraft flying over the area.
“We’ve deployed a number of vessels to the area to be able to search as quickly as possible, because in this case, rapid assistance must be provided in the event of any survivors,” he emphasized.
So far, four dead have been recovered: a woman and three men who were traveling on this yola, the name given to small fishing boats commonly used to transport undocumented immigrants to Puerto Rico, which has the status of a free state associated with the United States.
Such a boat can carry up to 100 people.
The fact
The Dominican Navy said that “they were attempting to travel illegally to Puerto Rico , off the coast of Juanillo, La Altagracia province,” on the eastern tip of the island, very close to Punta Cana.
The route is approximately 130 km to Puerto Rico.
Illegal migration from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico has been on the rise in the last decade.
The boats are built with wood or fiberglass, and authorities warn that they don’t meet safety standards. However, a transfer to Puerto Rico can cost more than $7,000, according to press reports.
