Six shipwrecked migrants rescued in Mona

Six migrants, four Cubans and two Dominicans have been rescued after a boat capsized near the Puerto Rican island of Mona, the US Coast Guard said Monday.

The rescuers were four men and two women who were stranded at sea near the reef line of Mona Island on Sunday night.

Coast Guard air and surface units, park rangers from the Mona Island Nature Reserve and the M/F Kydon boat crew participated in the rescue.

“These six men are very lucky to be alive,” Coast Guard Commander Gerard Wenk said in a statement.

Coast Guard observers in San Juan received communications from park rangers from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (TRNA) on Mona Island.

A Coast Guard plane released a flare to illuminate the area and found a man in the water who had swum toward the island.

Rescuers said there were several people in the water. Five other migrants were assisted by park rangers at Sardinera Beach.

No injuries or medical emergencies were reported, according to the Coast Guard, which announced that the transfer of the migrants was being coordinated with Border Patrol agents in Puerto Rico.

From October 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023, the Coast Guard detained 1,965 migrants in Puerto Rican waters, including 1,675 Dominicans and 264 Haitians.