PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos — A boat was discovered wandering about a mile off Grand Turk island with 20 dead individuals on board, consisting of 2 kids, authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands stated Sunday.
Officials stated detectives had actually eliminated nasty play however were still attempting to identify what occurred. The identities and origin of the dead were likewise under examination.
Fishermen identified the little boat Thursday early morning and signaled the marine branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, who pulled the vessel ashore.
The cops interactions officer, Takara Bain, stated in a press release that detectives had actually marked down nasty play and were taking a look at other possibilities, without offering any specifics.
Police Commissioner Trevor Botting stated the boat appeared to have actually originated from outside the Caribbean and authorities did not believe it had the Turks and Caicos as its location.
“My investigators are working to establish their identities and how they met their death,” Botting stated.
The Turks and Caicos are frequently a magnet for desperate Haitians looking for to leave that poverty-stricken country and the area likewise has actually been utilized as a transshipment point by human traffickers.
In June 2020, Sri Lanka-born Canadian person Srikajamukam Chelliah pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges prior to a Turks and Caicos judge and was sentenced to 14 months in jail. He was extradited to Florida and sentenced Feb. 24 to 32 months in jail for conspiring to smuggle individuals into the United States.
Chelliah had actually been captured in August 2019 skippering a boat carrying 158 individuals, consisting of 28 Sri Lankans. They informed detectives they were bound for the United States.
