Abandoned boat and 11 bodies found on eastern Caribbean island with Mali passports

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Authorities in the Caribbean country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines say they have discovered an abandoned boat and the remains of 11 people along with passports from the west African country of Mali.

The boat was found on the shores of Canouan island in the eastern Caribbean, police said in a statement Tuesday.

Authorities said they are working with regional and international partners to identify the victims and the origin of the boat, which was discovered on Monday.

"This incident is deeply concerning," police said. "We are committed to pursuing every lead."

In January, officials in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis said they found a boat with the bodies of 19 people, some with identifications from Mali.

Meanwhile, in May 2021, the bodies of more than a dozen men were found on a boat drifting near the twin-island Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. An Associated Press investigation found that they were part of a group of 43 people believed to have left Mauritania for Spain's Canary Islands but instead were swept away by the Atlantic Ocean.