WILLEMSTAD - A boat with engine trouble near the coast of Curaçao was found to have thirteen undocumented Venezuelans on board yesterday. The Coast Guard has handed over the passengers to the police.
The Coast Guard spotted the vessel on radar yesterday morning. The station ship Zr.Ms. Friesland, which sailed in the area immediately started to monitor the situation. When approaching the boat, the crew saw the people on board waving flashlights. Once closer to the vessel, the crew noticed that several people were on board.
The persons said that their vessel had engine trouble and that they could not continue sailing. The Coast Guard rescue and coordination center immediately dispatched a patrol boat.
Once on location, it turned out to be thirteen undocumented migrants. The six women, six men, and a child, all of Venezuelan nationality, have been handed over to the police. The investigation into this case is ongoing.