Puerto Rico Boat Capsizes After Machete Fight, 2 Dead, 40 Rescued, Several Missing

At least 40 people were rescued and two were found dead after a makeshift boat carrying an estimated 60 people capsized near Mona Island, west of Puerto Rico, following a fight involving a machete. Several people remain missing as US Coast Guard-led search and rescue operations continue.

The boat capsized at around 11 pm on Sunday, September 27, about 10 nautical miles from the tiny, uninhabited Mona Island. Survivors told authorities that a fight broke out aboard the vessel and several people were severely injured with a machete. The incident prompted passengers to jump into the water, and none of those aboard were wearing life jackets, according to the Coast Guard.

Survivors spent more than 12 hours in the water before a passing vessel spotted them near Mona Island around noon on Monday. The vessel's crew alerted authorities and rescued four people from the water, triggering a wider emergency response. The Coast Guard and partner agencies subsequently rescued at least 40 people and recovered two bodies.

The Coast Guard said the search was continuing for others who may still be missing. Authorities are searching areas including the Mona Passage, Florida Straits, Windward Passage and Caribbean Sea, with aircraft, helicopters and marine units involved. The operation includes the Coast Guard, Puerto Rico Police, US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the Dominican Republic Air Force and Puerto Rico's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.

It was not immediately clear where the people aboard the vessel were from, and authorities had not confirmed the boat's departure point or destination. The Coast Guard said survivors estimated that about 60 people had been aboard, meaning the exact number of missing people remains uncertain.

The incident occurred in the Mona Passage, a dangerous stretch of water between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola that has been used by migrants travelling from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Makeshift boats attempting the crossing have previously capsized in rough waters.

In June 2022, 11 Haitian women and girls died after an overloaded boat capsized northwest of Puerto Rico. More recently, authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands detained a makeshift boat carrying 60 Haitian migrants on September 22, while another 240 Haitian migrants were detained near the archipelago in June.

The latest tragedy comes amid Haiti's worsening humanitarian crisis. Gang violence has displaced about 1.5 million people, while more than 3,050 people were reported killed in Haiti between January and June 2026, according to UN figures. Armed groups are estimated to control about 70 per cent of Port-au-Prince and areas beyond the capital.