Traveling overseas can sometimes be incredibly risky depending on the mode of transportation. While taking flights is obviously the easier and most efficient way to travel overseas, it’s not always realistic and affordable for everyone to do so. Traveling across the ocean by boat is sometimes a cheaper option.
Unfortunately for one group of travelers, things went haywire. Authorities in Turks and Caicos discovered a drifting boat on the coast carrying 20 dead people, including two children on Thursday (June 24). They’re currently trying to piece together exactly what happened.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Beaches Turks & Caicos
According to reports, fishermen spotted the boat drifting near Grand Turk last Thursday morning and immediately alerted the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. In a press release published Friday (June 28), law enforcement said that although the “deaths are unexplained, there is no indication of foul play.”
“Work is now underway to establish their identity, the cause of death and the circumstances that led them to be found in the Turks and Caicos Islands waters,” the press release added.
Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting explained they believe the ship came from outside the Caribbean region, and neither the islands of Turks and Caicos nor its surrounding region was the intended destination. “My investigators are working to establish their identities and how they met their death. This work will take some time to complete,” he said.
Botting added, “Whatever the circumstances, this is a tragic situation where many people have lost their lives, and the thoughts and prayers of the Force go out to those families who have lost a loved one. We will do all we can to identify them and contact their families.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Beaches Turks & Caicos
Notably, boats of migrants have been intercepted in the waters around the archipelago. About an hour after the press release published Friday, officers posted about a different interception of a boat with 43 Haitian migrants on board.
Our thoughts go out to the families affected by this massive tragedy.
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