Authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands revealed on Sunday that A boat was found drifting about a mile from Grand Turk Island, killing 20 people, including two children.
Officials said investigators ruled out foul play. But still trying to check what happened. The identity and origin of the deceased are still under investigation.
Fishermen saw the small boat on Thursday morning and alerted the maritime branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands police force, which had towed the boat ashore.
Takara Ben, Police Communications Officer said in the press release that Investigators reduce inappropriate play. and is considering other possibilities without giving any details
Police Commissioner Trevor Botting said the boat appeared to be from outside the Caribbean. And the authorities do not consider the Turks and Caicos Islands as a destination.
“My investigators are working to establish their identity and how they met their death,”
; Botting said.The Turks and Caicos are often magnets for desperate Haitians seeking to flee the impoverished country, and the land is also used as a transshipment point by human traffickers.
In June 2020, Srikajamukam Chelliah, a Sri Lankan-born Canadian citizen, pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges before a Turk and Caicos judge. and was sentenced to 14 months in prison. He was extradited to Florida and was sentenced to 24 to 32 months in prison in February for conspiring to smuggle people into the United States.
In August 2019, Shelliah was arrested while driving a boat carrying 158 people, including 28 Sri Lankans. They told investigators they were bound for the United States.
Turks and Caicos Islands Location Map (Photo by: Encyclopaedia Britannica/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)/Turks and Caicos Islands Location Map (Photo by: Encyclopaedia Britannica/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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