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Bahamas police find 4 bodies at sea

by Sanjay Jha | May 28, 2008 at 01:15 am | 233 views | add comment

Police in Bahamas have fished out 4 bodies of Haitian migrants in deep waters between Florida and Bahamas. Thousands of Haitians leave their impoverished homeland on rickety, overcrowded boats each year in hopes of reaching the U.S. or other islands. Last month, at least 20 died when their boat capsized on a trip from Nassau, Bahamas, to Florida.

Police responding to reports of a capsized speedboat discovered the bodies of four people believed to be Haitian migrants in bloody, shark-infested waters between Florida and the Bahamas, authorities said Tuesday.
Sharks devoured one of the bodies in front of rescuers. The amount of blood near the 27-foot (8-meter) boat suggests there were other victims whose bodies were not recovered, Bahamas police spokesman Basil Rahming said.
Thousands of Haitians leave their impoverished homeland on rickety, overcrowded boats each year in hopes of reaching the U.S. or other islands. Last month, at least 20 died when their boat capsized on a trip from Nassau, Bahamas, to Florida.
The capsized boat, which was found Sunday about 13 miles (21 kilometers) west of Grand Bahama island, was apparently aiming for the U.S. coast before it capsized in rough water, Rahming said.
A U.S. tourist vessel that was the first to arrive after the Coast Guard reported the overturned boat discovered a "horrific" scene, said Laine Sheridan, operations director for the Riviera Beach, Florida-based Gulf Stream Eagle tourist boat.