SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Dominican authorities say a smuggler’s boat capsized off the country’s northern coast, killing at least five illegal migrants who were trying to cross to the comparatively wealthy U.S. island of Puerto Rico.
Civil defense spokeswoman Minerva Santos says rescuers are scouring an often-stormy stretch of water between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico for another 10 migrants reported to be part of the group that set off early Tuesday in the small boat near the coastal town of Cabrera.
The nationalities of the passengers were not immediately known but Santos says that one of the recovered bodies was an ex-captain of the Dominican police force.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of Dominican migrants attempt sea journeys to Puerto Rico each year.