The number of deaths has risen to four as a result of the wreck of a boat carrying Haitian migrants in the waters of the Colombian municipality of Acandí, located on the Caribbean coast and bordering Panama, as authorities continue to search for three missing people.
The mayor of Acandí explained that the victims are a woman who was pregnant, an adult, a 6-year-old girl and a minor of 2, while the people who have not yet been found are a man, a woman and a 7-year-old baby . months.
During the rescue operation, carried out by the National Navy, nine people were rescued.
“Unfortunately, we have a shipwreck in which transnational migrants of Haitian nationality were killed. 16 people were transported on the boat, including four children,” said Sandra Julio, secretary of the government of Acandí, a municipality on the shores of the Caribbean Sea. is part of the jungle department of Chocó.
The official said that the boat left the municipality of Turbo, in the neighboring department of Antioquia, and that the migrants would be taken to Capurganá, a village that is part of Acandí, to walk across’ the Darién Gap to reach Panama and continue their way to the United States. “
“We are calling the national government, this is not a new case, it is cases that have happened repeatedly in our territory,” Julio added.
The mayor of Acandí, Alexander Murillo, pointed out that “the people driving the boat are being held at the Capurganá police station.”
This event is reminiscent of what happened on January 28, 2019, when 19 African migrants died in the wreck of a craft boat in the Caribbean, near the remote village of Capurganá, where Bahía Pinacorra is located and part of the municipality of Acandí. .
The tragedy caught the attention of a group of detectives and prosecutors who, with the support of Migración Colombia and the United States Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE), identified and located all members of the network. involved in the deaths of migrants.
Thanks to the investigation, which included testimonials as well as physical and technical evidence, the prosecution ordered the arrest of seven people accused of being part of the gang, who were imprisoned in Capurganá and nearby towns.