119 Haitians Found at Sea

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119 Haitians found at sea, returned to Cap Haitien

By MIAMI HERALD STAFF REPORT
dadenews@MiamiHerald.com
The Coast Guard Cutter Seneca on Friday repatriated 119 Haitian migrants to Cap Haitien, Haiti after they were interdicted at sea Sunday.

While on routine patrol, Coast Guard Cutters Tornado and Key Biscayne crew members located a grossly overloaded 65-foot Haitian sail freighter northeast of Matanzas, Cuba, the agency said.

The crew of two Coast Guard cutters arrived on scene and distributed personal flotation devices before safely transferring the Haitians between the two cutters. The cutter Senaca received the migrants on Wednesday, to take them to Haiti for repatriation.

``Overloaded vessels can quickly lose stability and capsize, sending migrants into the water,'' said Capt. Steven Banks, Seventh Coast Guard District chief of enforcement.

``Migrants on grossly overloaded vessels usually do not have necessary safety equipment and lack sufficient supplies of food and water, which can lead to dehydration and, in some cases, death,'' he said.

All the migrants received food, water, shelter and necessary medical attention before being repatriated.

The cutter Key Biscayne is a 110-foot patrol boat home ported in Key West.



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