ANKARA
At least 40 people were rescued and two were found dead after a makeshift boat carrying an estimated 60 people capsized in waters west of Puerto Rico, media reports said Monday.
The US Coast Guard said rescue operations remained underway after the vessel overturned several miles from Mona Island, according to NBC News.
Survivors spent more than 12 hours in the water before a passing vessel spotted them near the uninhabited island around noon Monday and alerted authorities.
Four people were rescued at that time, while the Coast Guard subsequently brought the total number of survivors found to at least 40.
The Coast Guard said the boat capsized late Sunday following a fight in which people were severely injured with a machete, prompting those aboard to jump into the water without life jackets.
Survivors told authorities that approximately 60 people had been aboard, leaving several people unaccounted for as search and rescue efforts continued.
The nationalities of those aboard were not immediately known, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson.
The incident occurred in the Mona Passage, a stretch of water between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic frequently used by migrants traveling from Hispaniola.
Migrants fleeing poverty and violence in Haiti and the Dominican Republic have made the crossing in makeshift vessels, some of which have capsized in rough waters, the outlet reported.
