Nightmare at sea

last updated 8 January 2015

Nagua, Dominican Republic

Thirty-one Dominican refugees were rescued last week after drifting in a 30-foot wooden boat for nearly two weeks, as 55 other passengers died one by one. The migrants paid $450 each for passage to Puerto Rico, where they hoped to find work. But the engine sputtered out on day two, as they approached land. Water and food—chocolate, peanuts, and sardines—ran out the next day, and the first passenger died two days later. Two women offered breast milk to keep others alive, although one of the women died. People fought for her milk, one survivor said, and “started biting her everywhere.” Others simply panicked and jumped overboard. “They were going crazy,” said survivor Faustina Santana.