The Colombian Navy rescued 16 migrants who were traveling aboard a boat near the island of San Andrés, among whom there were 4 minors of Venezuelan nationality – one of them a seven-month-old baby – the military institution reported this Sunday in a statement.
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The Navy “detected, late at night, a motor vessel that was transiting suspiciously 25 nautical miles (46 kilometers) southwest of San Andrés Island, in the general area of Isla Cayo Albuquerque.”
The coast guard found a boat named ‘Yong King’ with 18 people on board: 7 adults and 4 Venezuelan minors, 4 adults of Kosovar nationality and a Cuban, in addition to 2 Colombians, who would be allegedly responsible for driving these people to Central America.
The adult migrants were placed at the disposal of the competent authoritieswhile the minors were delivered to the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) for the restoration of their rights. The two Colombians were arrested for the alleged crime of migrant smuggling and were placed at the disposal of the Prosecutor’s Office.
The Colombian Navy recalled that “The hurricane season still remains in the Atlantic, so in the Archipelago department – to which San Andrés belongs along with Providencia and Santa Catalina – adverse weather conditions such as heavy rains, winds and increased wave heights make it difficult to navigation”.
So far in 2024, 240 people have been rescued in the Archipelago department.
EFE
