Forensic teams in the Dominican Republic are currently working to identify the remains of 14 West African individuals discovered on a boat that drifted near the country’s northern coast, a civil defense official announced on Wednesday.
According to state media RTVD, the decomposed bodies, identified as originating from Senegal and Mauritania, were found about 10 nautical miles off Rio San Juan. Among the deceased, at least one individual was reported to be under 18 years old. Authorities also recovered 29 cell phones from the boat.
Media outlets have published images of several damaged national identification cards found at the scene.
The Dominican navy stated, “We will continue to investigate this discovery together with the public prosecutors’ office to determine the causes and origin of this maritime tragedy,” adding that the vessel’s make and origin remain unknown.
The Atlantic Ocean off the West African coast is known as one of the most perilous maritime routes in the world, with strong westerly currents and winds that can easily drive vessels off course.
Additionally, a backpack containing 12 packages of a substance suspected to be either cocaine or heroin was found on the boat.
