Dominican authorities say 17 other refugees and migrants were rescued from the boat en route to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.
Published on Jul 12, 2025
Four refugees and migrants are dead and around 20 others are missing after their boat capsized off the coast of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, authorities said, as Haitians and Dominicans continue to take deadly risks to make the crossing to what they hope will be a better life.
According to the AFP news agency, Dominican civil protection authorities said Friday that 17 more people had been rescued from the boat, which was carrying around 40 people and heading to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.
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The Caribbean country's navy said it had rescued 10 Dominicans and seven Haitians. A child was among the survivors.
So-called “yola” migrant boats, like the one that encountered difficulties, are built of wood or fiberglass and do not respect safety rules, according to the authorities.
Refugees and migrants pay up to $7,000 for a one-way ticket to Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with crisis-torn Haiti.
Illegal migration from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico has been a growing phenomenon over the past decade.
In 2022, at least five people drowned and 66 others were rescued during an incident involving a suspected human trafficking boat near the uninhabited island of Mona, western Puerto Rico.
Mona Island, a nature reserve, is located between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and has, over the years, been used by smugglers transporting people between the two. Those who take this route are usually Dominican or Haitian.
