The Tribune

THE US Coast Guard rescued ten people, including two pregnant women, who were sitting on an overturned vessel in waters near Freeport on Saturday.

A Bahamian man was among the Haitians and Jamaicans rescued. The migrants - except for a Jamaican man - told authorities that they had paid for transport into the United States.

According to officials, around 4pm, immigration officers were called to the Lucayan Harbour to meet up with USCG Cutter Bernard C Webber which had 10 persons on board who they had intercepted at sea.

According to Coast Guard officials, they were alerted of a vessel in distress some 18 nautical miles northwest of Freeport.

At 12.30pm on Saturday, the Coast Guard arrived at the vessel that was overturned and all ten people were sitting on top of the keel. There were four women and six men. The men consisted of four Haitians, one Bahamian and one Jamaican while the four women were all Haitians. Two of the women are in the advanced stages of pregnancy, officials said.

The group was handed over to immigration officials who took them to the Department of Immigration’s headquarters for further processing.

“The Bahamian male claimed that the group departed from the Xanadu Beach area sometime Friday evening and after travelling for about five hours the vessel started to take on water,” officials said. “He claimed that the two Bahamian men who were driving the vessel called for someone to pick them up and left the 10 on board the distressed vessel to fend for themselves. He claimed that they tried to hail other vessels, which were passing but to no avail. He said that they spent the entire night on the overturned vessel until rescued by USCG Saturday afternoon.

“The group all claimed that they had paid to be taken to the US with the exception of the Jamaican national who claimed that he was only going along for the ride.”

The group will be brought to Nassau and the Detention Centre to be further processed and repatriated.

The Bahamian man is assisting the authorities with further inquiries, officials said.