At least four migrants died, including a minor, and two others are missing after their boat capsized in the Caribbean on Wednesday. in which they were trying to reach Panama, as confirmed this Thursday by the security authorities of the Central American country.
The National Border Service (Senafront) of Panama detailed in a statement released in the early hours of this Thursday that “27 migrants” were traveling on the boat and that “the predominant nationality of these people was Afghan.”
Among the four deceased there is a minor, a man and two women, according to official information.
The rescue services found the bodies “stranded” in an area of cliffs located in Punta Carreto, Guna Yala region, in the Caribbean of Panama bordering Colombia.
“Our staff arrives around four in the afternoon to the inaccessible place and very far from the urban areas of Carreto. There we were able to locate four lifeless bodies (…) that, as a result of the waves, ran aground in the area of the rich,” Senafront director Jorge Luis Gobea said in a video.
Panamanian authorities will continue the search for the other missing migrants this Thursday.
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The Senafront reported this Wednesday that The migrants were transferred near the border between Colombia and Panama, “by criminals who recklessly (…) insist on risking the lives of these migrants, in a dangerous area of the sea,” when the boat capsized due to bad weather.
That area, according to Panamanian authorities, It is very complex for navigation “due to the strong waves caused by the currents and winds, and depending on the time of year, inclement rain”, which complicates a safe arrival at port.
Furthermore, “at this time of year, bad weather is usually a consistent factor for boats on both coasts” especially for “those that move from the clandestinity of irregular migration and criminals who are dedicated to the illicit trafficking of migrants” , highlights the Senanfront note.
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The Caribbean area is used by migrants from Colombia to avoid passing through the dangerous Darién jungle, the natural border between both countries.. However, this route is also dangerous: in November 2023 alone, Panamanian security forces rescued 11 Chinese migrants who had been abandoned on a boat in the Caribbean.
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The National Migration Service of Panama (SMN) recently announced that in 2024 the number of migrants crossing through the Darién jungle is expected to increase by up to 20%.
The increase in migrants through the Darién on their way to the US or Canada in search of better living conditions has been progressive since 2021, reaching the record number of more than 520,000 in 2023. Panamanian authorities continue to insist that this is a “business” of organized crime.
EFE
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