a1994: Two Haitians dead, 71 rescued in Bahamas (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

MIAMI, May 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 71 Haitian refugees
from a capsized 35-foot sailboat in the Bahamas 400 miles southeast of
Miami Friday, but at least two people have died and many more may be
missing.
   Coast Guard spokesmen Luis Diaz said he did not know how many people
were originally aboard the homemade sailboat so it was impossible to figure
out how many people are missing.
   He said the cutter Harriet Lane was on scene along with two Bahamian
patrol boats and another cutter was en route. There are also two
helicopters searching and a C-130 dropped supplies for survivors.
   "We're doing everything we can," Diaz said.
   The boat capsized about 4 a.m. six miles west of Great Inagua in the
southern Bahamas. The Coast Guard did not know if the boat was headed
directly for Florida or the Bahamas, although the Bahamas seemed to be the
more likely destination.
   Lt. Cmdr. Ron LeBrec said: "At this point we don't know exactly what
caused it to capsize other than it was severely overloaded. This is an
extremely dangerous voyage that has resulted in many Haitian deaths in the
past."
   The Harriet Lane discovered the vessel, along with another Haitian
sailboat, shortly before it capsized.
   The two boats are typical of those frequently used to transport
undocumented migrants fleeing the poverty of Haiti for the Bahamas or the
United States, the Coast Guard said.
   The Coast Guard patrols the waters off Haiti to deter drug smuggling and
departures by migrants, which have ended in tragic accidents in the past.