Death toll rises to 17 in Dominican shipwreck

The death toll from a shipwreck in the Caribbean waters north of the capital of the Dominican Republic rose to 17 on Sunday, local navy officials said. Rescue officials said five more bodies were pulled from the waters but at least 34 of the migrants on board remained unaccounted for. According to witnesses, some 60 people from the Dominican Republic were traveling in the overloaded boat. The wooden boat was sailing toward Puerto Rico, where many migrants from the Dominican Republic often seek refuge in the hope of a better life, when it capsized in the early hours of Saturday. The Dominican navy is continuing its rescue operation, but while 14 people have been found alive, hopes are fading that more survivors will be found. "It is near impossible that more people will be found alive," said Luis Castro, an officer of the marine forces, adding that all those rescued had been taken to shelter in a detention center and were being cared by local health workers. Shipwrecks that end with the death of would-be illegal migrants from across the Caribbean are common in the region, where hundreds of people risk their lives every day to flee poverty to pursue a better life in the United States.