This year, the Colombian Navy has safeguarded the lives of 683 irregular migrants in the waters of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina.
Units of the Colombian Navy, attached to the Specific Command of San Andrés and Providencia, began search and rescue operations in the Caribbean Sea, before the alleged disappearance of at least 17 people, who apparently would have made irregular migration movements aboard an illegal ship, in which they intended to reach Central America from San Andrés.
The operational effort began after receiving information from relatives, who said to the Naval Institution that apparently 11 Venezuelans, three Ecuadorians and three Thais, unidentified, would have left the last December 17 in the early hours of the morning, the island of San Andrés bound for Nicaragua aboard an illegal boat from that country, losing contact with them since the date in mention. Despite the search efforts by the Colombian Navy, there have been no results.
In addition to the effort made with the Coast Guard Resources, Surface Units and Naval Aviation Officers, the Colombian Navy is coordinating with the military authorities of Costa Rica and Nicaragua to search for the 17 migrants missing at sea. In turn, while the information is being expanded and verified, the Attorney General's Office and the departmental Government have been informed about the alleged disappeared.
“These people, usually, go to sea in boats manned by individuals who use unauthorized routes, violating current maritime regulations and without the minimum security conditions, in order to evade the operations of the units of the Colombian Navy, thus putting the life and good physical condition of irregular migrants at risk,” said Ship Captain Octavio Gutiérrez Herrera, Commander of the Specific Command of San Andrés and Providencia.
Source: Press - Navy of Colombia
