WILLEMSTAD – The Maritime Operations Center (MOC) of the Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation this morning after receiving reports of one or more boats missing at sea. The vessels, believed to have departed from Venezuela towards Curaçao, were carrying several undocumented migrants.
Upon receiving the alert, the MOC immediately dispatched a helicopter and a Coast Guard aircraft to search along the coastlines and surrounding waters of Curaçao. During the operation, radar detected a contact, prompting the MOC to direct the Dash aircraft to the location.
Upon arrival, the aircraft confirmed that a boat had capsized, with multiple people clinging to it for survival. Following this report, the MOC deployed a Coast Guard helicopter and two Metal Shark patrol boats to rescue those stranded at sea.
A total of 10 individuals—four women and six men, all of Venezuelan nationality—were rescued this afternoon. According to the survivors, more passengers remain missing. The search for the missing individuals is ongoing.