Monday, following the sinking on February 2 of a boat of Haitian migrants https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26849-haiti-social-bahamas-shipwreck-last-balance-19-survivors-and-28-deaths.html which sank after striking a reef, 6 miles off the Abaco Islands north of the Bahamas archipelago and causing at least 28 deaths, the Government of Haiti has formally requested the Government of the Bahamas to return the bodies of the 28 Haitians who drowned, said Darren Henfield, the Bahamas Foreign Minister.

The total number of migrants who went to sea was unknown, however, Clarence Russell the Bahamas Immigration Director said that according to survivor testimony reports, this figure could reach 80.

Henfield said the Chancellery has maintained a constant dialogue with Haitian officials since the tragedy and confirmed that an envoy from the Haitian Embassy in Nassau had visited Abaco on Sunday "It is my understanding that the Haitian embassy has asked for the remains to be turned over to them after the pathologist and the inquest is completed [...]"

Chancellor Henfield lamented that "[...] these boats don’t have any kind of live-saving apparatus on them; they don’t have proper communication equipment, so that they can call for help; and most of the people who travel in them can’t swim [...] the best we can do is continue to encourage the Haitian people, through their government and via other means of communication to the population, that this is, in fact, a very dangerous journey to make between Haiti and The Bahamas [ ...] »

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26849-haiti-social-bahamas-shipwreck-last-balance-19-survivors-and-28-deaths.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26837-haiti-flash-toll-rising-at-least-28-haitians-die-drowned-off-the-bahamas-update.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26829-haiti-flash-shipwreck-off-the-islands-of-abaco-16-dead-and-15-haitian-survivors.html

SL/ HaitiLibre