A sailboat packed over capacity with Haitian immigrants capsized off the coast of the Turks and Caicos Islands before dawn killing 17 people, according to the Associated Press.
British Territory officials said the sailboat capsized after it was discovered two hours before and was being towed into shore when many on board began to panic and jump off the boat to try and swim to the island of Providenciales, causing the boat to overturn, the AP reported.
Karlo Pelissier, the Haitian consul to the Turks and Caicos, was told by survivors that each had paid anywhere from $500-1,000 each to be transported to Miami, Bahamas or the Turks and Caicos Islands, according to the AP.
So far, 33 migrants were rescued, including a 12-year-old boy, but 12 men and five women were killed when the boat overturned in the pre-dawn darkness, the AP reported.
Another search and rescue will be conducted on Thursday, but according to Neil Smith, a government spokesman, no more bodies are expected to be found, the AP reported. The 12 men and five women killed would be repatriated after autopsies to establish the cause of death.
The rest of the survivors are being held at a detention center on the island of Providenciales were many Haitians already live and work in tourist-related jobs, according to the AP. Providenciales is the most populated island in the Bahamas.
No major injuries were reported among the survivors, and Pelissier said "they are tired, but they are OK," the AP reported.
The voyage began on Sunday for the Haitian migrants who were either from Port-au-Prince or the northern city of Cap-Haitien, and some were also being left in the Turks and Caicos "which has an established community of migrants from Haiti working in construction, tourism and service jobs," the AP reported.
After the incident, Haitian officials released a statement discouraging migrants to embark on such journeys, warning they are risky and dangerous, the AP reported.
"We are saddened by such tragedy and present our condolences and prayers to the families and friends of those affected by this accident," Salim Succar, an adviser to Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, told the AP.
As of yet, no smugglers or captain of the ship has been identified, and police spokesman Audley Astwood said the focus of our operation is search and rescue, trying to save as many lives as possible," the AP reported.
