Mona Passage shipwreck search suspended after 49 rescued

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended a four-day search for approximately 10 missing persons following a shipwreck in the Mona Passage near Puerto Rico. Search operations lasted 78 consecutive hours, covering more than 2,000 square nautical miles.

Authorities reported that 49 survivors were rescued and handed over to Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol in Mayagüez. Three deceased individuals were recovered and transferred to the Puerto Rico Institute of Forensic Sciences. The vessel, an overcrowded improvised boat, departed from the Dominican Republic carrying approximately 62 people, primarily Dominican nationals and at least two Haitian citizens.

Survivors stated that a violent altercation involving a machete occurred on board, causing chaos that led to the vessel capsizing on Sunday night. The search remains suspended pending new information.