One dead, over 20 missing after migrant boat sinks off Dominican Republic

At least one person has died and more than 20 remain missing after a boat carrying undocumented migrants sank off the coast of the Dominican Republic, authorities said. Seventeen people were rescued by naval forces and the country’s Civil Protection agency.

The wooden vessel, which was carrying at least 40 people, was en route to Puerto Rico — a U.S. territory located roughly 130 kilometers from the Dominican Republic’s eastern coast.

According to the Navy, the survivors include ten Dominicans and seven Haitian nationals, among them a child.

Passengers reportedly paid smugglers up to $7,000 each for the dangerous journey in hopes of escaping poverty and seeking better living conditions.

Search operations for the missing are ongoing. The cause of the sinking has not yet been determined. Authorities described the incident as part of the wider, ongoing migration crisis affecting the Caribbean region.