17 dead, 13 rescued after migrant boat capsizes

17 dead, 13 rescued after migrant boat capsizes
By EZEQUIEL ABIU LOPEZ
Associated Press

SABANA DE LA MAR, Dominican Republic -- Rescuers have recovered 17 bodies and pulled 13 survivors from white-capped waters off this coastal town after an overloaded boat carrying migrants from the Dominican Republic capsized, officials said Sunday.

Luis Castro, intelligence director of the Dominican Navy, said the bodies of 12 men and five women were found in choppy waters. The suspected captain of the smuggler's boat has been detained and was being questioned by investigators, he said.

The number of the dead is expected to go up as Dominican rescuers in two army boats and a firefighter's vessel were joined by numerous local fishermen search for at least 40 more migrants pitched overboard early Saturday when the boat heading for neighboring Puerto Rico capsized.

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Arismendy Manzueta, a 28-year-old farmer from the northern town of La Jagua who survived the journey, said the hopes of better economic prospects in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico made him risk his life aboard the overloaded boat. Puerto Rico is a common destination for Dominican migrants.

More:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/04/2625419/dominican-migrant-boat-overturns.html