US Coast Guard catches Peruvians, Dominicans at sea heading for Puerto Rico
Wednesday, April 7, 2004
MIAMI, USA (AFP): The US Coast Guard said in
a statement Tuesday it had intercepted 24 Dominicans and 14 Peruvians who
tried to reach Puerto Rico by boat. The Coast
Guard said it was searching for three people who jumped into the water when
the boat was stopped. The seven-meter
(23-foot) long boat was five kilometers (three miles) from the coast of Puerto
Rico, which is a Spanish-speaking US commonwealth. The Dominican Republic is
fewer than 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the west of Puerto Rico.
More than 3,000 Dominicans have been stopped at sea since January 2004,
doubling the number of people who were caught in 2003. Finding Peruvians at
sea is unusual, and Coast Guard officials could not explain how they ended up
floating toward Puerto Rico.
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