The 2009 Turks and Caicos Islands migrant shipwreck was the loss of a motorless boat carrying Haitian migrants near the Turks and Caicos Islands in the northern West Indies on the night of 26 July 2009. Sixty-five persons went missing; [1] earlier figures of 79 missing migrants were reduced as bodies were recovered. [2] After 2 days at least fifteen corpses had been located. [1] [2]
The boat had spent three days at sea before it capsized. [3] One survivor said the craft ended up on a reef while attempting to escape a patrolling police vessel. [3] [4] A Turks and Caicos police sergeant confirmed that the boat hit Molasses Reef near West Caicos. [2] Of the 124 people who were rescued, 102 were male; 22 were female. [2] Several severely injured migrants were helicoptered to a hospital in Providenciales. [2] Many were brought ashore aboard small boats, whilst five migrants were located alive and well after seemingly having swum to safety. [5]
The incident was reported to the United States Coast Guard by authorities from Turks and Caicos. [5] A spokesperson for the Coast Guard said they rescued 113 migrants and were assisting in the search for those who were still missing. [3] He said they were "hopeful" of finding more missing migrants alive but that "it has been a night and we have not located any additional people". [3] A helicopter and a cutter were also sent by the United States. [3]
An investigation was started to determine the cause. [4] The boat had no motor. [5] Hubert Hughes, Turks and Caicos Deputy Police Commissioner, claimed police had not been chasing the boat and only assisted when it became apparent that it had gotten into trouble. [5]
Haitians were immediately repatriated. [1] The incident followed the interception of 124 Haitian migrants from what was described as a "grossly overloaded" boat travelling southwest of this shipwreck. [2] Those migrants were quickly returned to Haiti. [2]