Migrants drown in Guna Yala

A man and a child’s body were found in the Guna Yala region of Panama after a boat carrying 10 illegal migrants capsized

The man’s body was found near the Morales beach and the 1.5-year-old child was found on the Cascajal beach.

The capsized boat included 10 illegal migrants  (6 Cubans, 4 Ecuadorians) as well as a motorcyclist and his assistant, for which Senafront did not reveal their nationalities.

Authorities said that they saw a boat drifting 70 meters from the beach in the Maliguita sector.  The boat had left Capurganá at 4:00 in the morning destined for Anachucuna, Guna Yala.

During the search and rescue, Senafront found 3 other undocumented persons who were healthy and safe.  The agency in charge of monitoring the borders of Panama is searching for the of the rest of the crew.

The region of Guna Yala, is located near the border province of Darién,  the area near the border between Panama and Colombia.  In recent years hundreds of migrants have used both the sea and land to enter the country to continue on to the United States or Canada.

In 2015 and 2017, Panama and Costa Rica faced thousands of Cubans and extra-continental stranded in both countries due to the closure of the Nicaraguan border.