On January 29, a chilling find was reported in the eastern Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. Reports stated that the deceased bodies of 19 people were discovered aboard a semi-submerged boat near Nevis, the southeastern island. The local authorities, including the Coast Guard, made the discovery around 11:30 a.m.
“It was a fishing vessel, which is not typically found in the Caribbean,” Police Commissioner James Sutton told The Associated Press. “We are not certain, but we believe that this vessel originated off the West African coast.”
Due to the advanced state of decomposition, it is difficult to determine the exact number of people that were on the boat or their identities. Police and medical officials have started investigations after the vessel was towed to St. Kitts.
This incident is the first of its kind in recent memory for this twin-island nation, situated approximately 1,200 miles southeast of Miami, Florida. However, it mirrors similar incidents in Caribbean waters in recent years, hinting at a pattern of vessels originating from West Africa.
The St. Kitts and Nevis Coast Guard are spearheading the ongoing investigation into the origins of the vessel and the circumstances surrounding this grim discovery. Medical officials are striving to gather more information about the deceased, however, the advanced decomposition has hindered identification efforts.
Previously in August 2024, officials in the Dominican Republic found a boat with the remains of 14 individuals, believed to be from Senegal and Mauritania. The investigation revealed the boat contained 29 cell phones and a backpack with 12 packages of suspected illegal substances.
Investigations concluded that several of the 14 victims were identified as being from Mali, West Africa. Authorities pointed out during the investigation that the strong westerly currents and winds of the Atlantic Ocean can significantly deflect vessels from their course.
Last week, another similar case was reported when authorities in Trinidad discovered a pirogue carrying the remains of five unidentified individuals near the coast. The vessel sank during attempts to tow it to Trinidad.
In May 2021, a comparable boat was found off the coast of Tobago that had drifted from West Africa carrying migrants. The St. Vincent Times reported that in many instances, the bodies are too decomposed to even determine gender, which complicates identification efforts.
These maritime incidents are not confined to the Caribbean. In June 2024, a boat catastrophe off the Djibouti coast resulted in 196 fatalities along the Eastern Route sea crossing. More recently, at least 45 people died and 111 were reported missing after two boats carrying migrants sank off the Djibouti coast.
The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project has documented that the maritime routes from the Horn of Africa to Yemen have claimed at least 1,860 lives since 2014. Despite the known risks, over 97,200 migrants attempted the journey in 2023.
Birane Mbaye, a survivor from Senegal, detailed the dangers of these sea crossings. Mbaye was one of 101 people who attempted to reach the Canary Islands in 2023. Their boat ran out of fuel and drifted for weeks, leading to numerous deaths due to thirst and starvation. After 35 days at sea, a Spanish fishing vessel rescued the 38 remaining survivors.