Three Dead, Baby Missing After Shipwreck On Colombian-Panamanian Border

Bogota, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Oct, 2021 ) :Three people have died and an eight-month-old baby is missing after a shipwreck off Panama's border, Colombian officials said, near a route frequented by migrants attempting to reach the United States.

The boat travelled from Colombia's Necocli municipality where some 20,000 people -- mostly Haitians -- are waiting to be legally transferred to the Colombian-Panamanian border.

A 650 daily cap on arrivals, agreed between the two nations, means that migrants often turn to illegal vessels to make the perilous journey.

"With deep sadness, we received the news of three dead and a missing 8-month-old baby," Ombudsman Carlos Camargo tweeted Monday, without specifying the nationality of the deceased.

"So far it is unknown how many people have been rescued," he said, adding that witnesses say the boat was overcrowded.

The accident occurred off the coast of the northwestern Colombian town Acandi, which has seen a significant increase in migrants with borders re-opening as pandemic measures loosen.

"Faced with the lack of opportunities to access tickets, many opt for illegal clandestine boats that leave from Necocli in the early hours of the morning," Camargo added.

In January, 12 migrants died after an illegal boat was shipwrecked in the same region.