Turks and Caicos Islands: 18 Believed to Be Migrants From Haiti Drown

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/world/americas/turks-and-caicos-islands-18-believed-to-be-migrants-from-haiti-drown.html

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Eighteen people believed to be migrants from Haiti died Wednesday when their overloaded sailboat overturned as it was being escorted to shore in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British territory, officials said. The sailboat, which had about 50 people on board, abruptly capsized about 150 yards from the island of Providenciales, said Neil Smith, a spokesman for the government. The cause was not immediately known but overloading was a probably factor, he said. The authorities rescued 32 people from the water, and they are in custody on suspicion of attempting to illegally enter the territory. Turks and Caicos, southeast of the Bahamas, is a frequent destination for Haitian migrants seeking to escape their impoverished country and find work in the islands’ construction and tourism industries.