28 die as boat carrying Haitian migrants sinks off Bahamas

NASSAU, Feb 04 (Reuters): A boat smuggling Haitian migrants has sunk off the Bahamas, leaving at least 28 dead and 17 others in police custody, officials said on Sunday.

Chief Petty Officer Jonathan Rolle of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force said residents of the island of Abaco had found four bodies and at least 15 survivors off the Bahamian coast Saturday, The Associated Press reported.

Rolle said the ship appeared to be an American vessel engaged in people-smuggling.

By Sunday afternoon, local forces and the US Coast Guard had found 28 bodies in and around a sunken ship, the AP said. The number of rescued had risen to 17. The boat's final destination was unclear.

The US Embassy in Haiti described the accident Monday morning on Twitter as "another tragic loss of life" and said the vessel had been "trafficking people out of Haiti."

"No journey is worth risking lives," the embassy said.

Bahamian authorities have apprehended about 300 Haitians for illegal entry this year, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force said in a statement on Saturday.