Two Venezuelan migrants died, one of them a 4-year-old girl, and 30 others from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and India were rescued alive on Saturday after a boat wrecked in the Caribbean of Nicaragua, the Nicaraguan Army reported.
“The Army of Nicaragua […] through the Naval Force, carried out search, rescue and rescue of 30 people who were shipwrecked aboard a vessel” near Corn Island, about 346 km east of Managua, the institution said in a statement published on the pro-government website El 19 Digital.
In the operation, two 31-year-old and 4-year-old Venezuelan migrants who drowned were located, the text indicated. The rescued people are 19 Venezuelans, including six minors, as well as four Ecuadorians, two Colombians and five Indians.
The vessel was traveling from the Colombian island of San Andrés to Corn Island, the Army added, which did not report missing persons.
“Communication was maintained with the Colombian Navy about the shipwreck of the vessel so that from their waters they would provide support for the search, rescue and rescue,” it added.
The 230 km sea route emerged as an alternative to avoid the dreaded crossing on foot through the Darién jungle, a 266 km corridor between Colombia and Panama, controlled by criminal groups and with serious risks due to its difficult terrain. The rest of the way to the United States is done by land.
In October 2023, a boat with 38 migrants set sail from San Andrés bound for Nicaragua and disappeared. 35 of these people were Venezuelan.
