An overloaded boat carrying many Haitians capsized on Monday after hitting a reef on the southern coast of the island of Tortola, Paraquita Bay (near the British Virgin Islands), a place deemed difficult by sailors because of the large number of coral found there.

A ship of the Dutch Coast Guard, saw the boat and alerted other authorities in the region. U.S. Coast Guard dispatched a vessel based in Puerto Rico who was near the wreck area.

The record is of five dead, including two babies. 28 survivors suspected of being illegal immigrants were arrested by British authorities, including six women who were hospitalized for various injuries said Dianne Drayton, spokesman for the police.

The exact number of passengers of the boat is not known and the authorities continued to actively seek other victims or survivors. The boat had left the Dutch side of St. Martin and attempted to illegally enter the British territory around midnight, said Wade Smith, Comptroller of Customs of the BVI.

Most migrants are from Haiti, but officials have not determined the nationality of all persons on board, said Ricardo Castrodad, a spokesman for the Coast Guard of the United States.

S/ HaitiLibre