Turks and Caicos Islands: Search resumes for more migrant bodies from capsized boat

At least 17 migrants from Haiti died on Wednesday when their overloaded sailboat capsized as it was being towed to shore in the Turks and Caicos Islands, officials in the British territory said.

A marine unit of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force had intercepted the packed sloop about two hours earlier and was escorting it to shore when it abruptly overturned, sparking a frantic search and rescue operation in the pre-dawn darkness.

Karlo Pelissier, the Haitian consul to the Turks and Caicos, said he was told by survivors that several migrants attempted to jump off the 28-foot boat and flee to land as they neared the island of Providenciales and that the surge caused the overloaded sloop to overturn.

Officials had not confirmed that as the cause of the capsizing.

Police and private divers will resume their search on Thursday December 26th for more bodies from the capsized boat from which 17 Haitians plunged to their watery grave off the island of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos Islands on Christmas Day.

Police Commissioner Colin Farquhar, Commissioner said the search for additional casualties was called off yesterday due to “worsening light conditions and sea state”.

“A scaled down search will begin again tomorrow, but no further casualties are anticipated,” Farquhar said.

Officials had previously reported that around 59 bodies were spotted in waters off Providenciales following the tragic accident that occurred while the boat was being towed into the harbor at South Dock by the Turks and Caicos Islands Marine Branch.

Police also originally said there were 18 fatalities, but in a press release issued through Neil Smith, the Governor’s spokesman, Farquhar revised that figure to 17.

“I can confirm that 33 people were detained as suspected illegal Haitian immigrants. This group consisted of 21 males, including one child, and 12 females. These people will be repatriated to Haiti at the earliest opportunity,” the Commissioner added.

Last year the Turks and Caicos Islands spent more than US$1million repatriating illegal Haitians.

“There is actually one fewer casualty than was reported earlier with 17 confirmed fatalities. This group consists of 12 male and five female adults. The remains will also be repatriated following post mortems (autopsies) to establish the cause of death.”

Farquhar thanked various partners, including local police and emergency services and the US Coast Guard who provided aerial support in the form of a helicopter and a C-130 maritime patrol aircraft.

“The stricken vessel has now been removed from the water and will be central to our ongoing investigations into this matter,” Farquhar continued.

“Our patrols of the waters surrounding our islands have recommenced, and as ever, we appreciate the support of the general public, especially other water users, in helping us identify and track suspicious vessels n our waters and around out coastline. We must all remain vigilant to combat illegal migration.

Haitians have for years risked their lives travelling via wooden boats on a dangerous voyage to the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas and the United States in search of a better living.

The migrants, mostly from the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and the northern city of Cap-Haitien, had set off on their voyage Sunday night, Pelissier said.

They paid $500-$1,000 (about £305 to £610) each and were trying to reach Miami or the Bahamas as well as Turks and Caicos, which has an established community of migrants from Haiti working in construction, tourism and service jobs.

Haitian officials said they try to discourage migrants from risking these journeys.

"We are saddened by such tragedy and present our condolences and prayers to the families and friends of those affected by this accident," said Salim Succar, an adviser to Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe.

The rescued migrants are expected to be repatriated to Haiti in the coming days.

Authorities had not yet identified the captain of the vessel or any of the human smugglers from among the survivors, police spokesman Audley Astwood said. "Right now, the focus of our operation is search and rescue, trying to save as many lives as possible," he added.

The Turks and Caicos, in addition to being a destination for Haitian migrants seeking to escape their impoverished country, is also a favoured route for smugglers. The waters surrounding the islands are dotted with many tiny cays, reefs and patches of shallow water, making it treacherous for sailors, especially when boats are overloaded.

In November, an overloaded migrant sloop overturned in the southern Bahamas and an estimated 30 people drowned.

In July 2009, a sailboat with estimated 200 Haitians aboard ran aground on a reef off Turks and Caicos, killing at least 15 people.

In May 2007, at least 61 migrants died when their boat capsized, also just off shore from Providenciales.

Thursday 26 December 2013

http://suntci.com/search-resumes-today-for-more-bodies-from-capsized-boat-p1163-108.htm

9 dead as Russian transport plane crashes in Siberia

A Russian An-12 cargo plane has crashed near the Siberian city of Irkutsk. None of the nine people onboard survived the crash, the Emergencies Ministry said.

Rescue workers were working at the scene of the crash, recovering bodies from the wreck of the plane, an Emergencies Ministry spokesman in the region has said. The ministry has also raised the number of people who were on board the An-12 to nine, according to Itar-Tass, saying that three people had accompanied the crew of six.

Six of the nine bodies of the crash victims have been reportedly recovered. None of the flight data recorders have yet been found, a law enforcement source has said.

The plane was being relocated from an aircraft factory in Novosibirsk to another such plant near Irkutsk, an aviation source said, following initial reports of the crash.

The An-12 was not transporting any passengers or cargo, the source added, saying that the plane was used for “experimental aviation”.

“The An-12 came in for landing at low altitude and grazed military depot buildings 10 kilometers away from the landing strip, after which it crashed,” a law enforcement source told the agency.

The spilled fuel from the plane caused a fire, but the blaze was promptly brought under control by the firemen, according to an RIA Novosti source in law enforcement.

No casualties were reported at the military depot, where the plane crashed.

The crashed An-12 had been routinely used for transporting aircraft replacement parts between the Irkutsk aircraft repair plant and the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association (NAPO), according to a NAPO source quoted by Itar-Tass. The cargo plane crashed during landing at the Irkutsk plant airfield, an air traffic control source told the agency.

Russia’s Industry and Trade Ministry has already launched an investigation into the accident, a ministry source told Interfax.

The Antonov An-12 type aircraft first entered service in the Soviet Union in 1966. The plane is capable of carrying up to 20 tons of cargo and can accommodate up to 14 passengers between the flight deck and the cargo bay.

The plane’s production stopped in 1973 after the Soviet Union produced over 850 civilian and military models, and exported hundreds.

The An-12 is now regarded as outdated and the Russian Air Force is seeking a replacement.

Wednesday 26 December 2013

http://rt.com/news/plane-crash-siberia-russia-828/