A GROUP of seven migrants from the Eastern European nation of Georgia were rescued from an overturned vessel at sea and taken to Grand Bahama yesterday.
A statement from Minister of Labour and Immigration Keith Bell said the migrants initially told officials they were from war-torn Ukraine, however a check of their passports showed they are from Georgia. Mr Bell said the migrants admitted they were trying to get to the United States.
“A vessel en route to Grand Bahama from Florida encountered an overturned vessel 10 miles off West End,” Mr Bell’s statement said. “A total of seven persons were encountered at sea who have since been confirmed to be Georgian nationals: two adult males, three adult females, and two children.
“At this point, we have them in our custody and they appear to be in good health. Initially, the individuals all claimed that their passports were lost at sea. I’m told, however, that the individuals have since admitted that they were trying to smuggle into the United States.
“They also reportedly initially told the rescuers that they were from Ukraine. However, the passports which they showed to our officers were from Georgia,” Mr Bell said.
An investigation is continuing.
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Comments
birdiestrachan 2 years, 6 months ago
Well we know for sure they can lie. But how do these vessels come so far without being seen or stopped.
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