A small boat was found drifting about a mile off the Turks and Caicos Islands last week with all 20 people on board dead, including two children, authorities said Sunday.
Investigators are still trying to solve the mystery and determine what caused their deaths, but so far nothing points to foul play, reports said.
The identities of the dead were not immediately known, nor where the boat had originated.
“My investigators are working to establish their identities and how they met their death,” Police Commissioner Trevor Botting said.
Fishermen spotted the boat Thursday morning and called the marine branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, who towed the vessel ashore, The Associated Press reported.
The boat appeared to have come from outside Caribbean waters and officials believe it may not have been headed toward the Turks and Caicos.
Police were looking into other circumstances that may have caused the disaster, but a news release from police communications officer Takara Bain did not offer many other specifics.
The Turks and Caicos are often a magnet for desperate Haitians fleeing the poverty-stricken nation. Human smugglers have also been known to use the chain of islands as a secret stopping point.
In June 2020, Sri Lanka-born Canadian citizen Srikajamukam Chelliah pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges before a Turks and Caicos judge and was sentenced to 14 months in prison. He was extradited to Florida and sentenced Feb. 24 to 32 months in prison for conspiring to smuggle people into the United States.
Chelliah had been caught in August 2019 skippering a boat carrying 158 people, including 28 Sri Lankans. They told investigators they were bound for the United States.
Information provided by The Associated Press was used to compile this report.
About the Author
