17 suspected Haitian migrants die in boat accident off Bahamas coast

Seventeen suspected Haitian migrants died in a boat accident off the coast of the Bahamas early on Sunday, a government statement said.

"Rescue teams recovered 17 bodies from the water" – 15 women, one man and one infant – the statement tweeted by Prime Minister Philip Davis said.

Another 25 people were rescued and placed in the care of health officials, the statement said.

At least one person is still missing, with search missions underway.

Preliminary investigations indicate that a speed boat left New Providence, the most populous island in the Bahamian archipelago, around 1am (0500 GMT) on Sunday with about 60 people on board.

Officials believe the boat was destined for Miami, Florida.

The vessel is believed to have capsized in the rough water, seven miles (11 kilometres) off the coast of the island.

A multi-agency investigation involving the Royal Bahamas Police Force and Royal Bahamas Defence Force is underway "to determine the full circumstances surrounding a suspected human smuggling operation which has resulted in" the migrant deaths, the statement said.

Human smugglers are known to use the Bahamas – a group of islands near the Florida coast – as a jumping-off point for getting people into the United States, in what can often be a treacherous journey.

In March, the US Coast Guard intercepted 123 people on board a small vessel off Anguilla Cay, in the western Bahamas, and just a few days before, it detained more than 140 people off the coast of Andros, the largest island in the Bahamas.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is facing an acute political, economic and security crisis.