The  number  of  Haitian migrants who perished  in last  Saturday’s boating disaster has risen to 30,  according to the National Emergency Management Agency. 

Officials have so far determined that in total, some 83 people – 76 males and seven females – were on board the ill- fated sloop when it set sail for the United States.

However, the 40-ft vessel ran aground off  Fowl Cay, near Man-O-War Cay, Abaco. The number of survivors stands at 18.

This   still leaves dozens more unaccounted for.  NEMA officials say no bodies will be released until the deceased are identified and embalmed.

This  past Monday, a team of immigration and police officers, the coroner, the First Secretary in the Haitian Embassy in The Bahamas, along with local representatives from the Haitian community met to hear concerns and to  talk about  the way forward. 

This   is not the first time an incident like this has happened, but it is the first of this magnitude where so many lives were loss.

NEMA Director Captain Stephen Russell in a release extended condolences to the people of Haiti as well as those residing here in The Bahamas.