Dominican Republic trying to identify the remains of 14 decomposed bodies found on abandoned vessel

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Forensic authorities in the Dominican Republic are working to identify the remains of at least 14 mostly decomposed bodies found on an abandoned vessel 10 nautical miles of its northern coast. The Dominican Republic Navy said the 14 skeletons appeared to belong to individuals from Senegal and Mauritania, according to the documentation found next to the bodies. Authorities are also working to determine whether 12 packages of a substance found on the boat contained illicit drugs, presumably cocaine or heroin. An AP investigation published last year revealed that in 2021, at least seven boats from northwest Africa had been found in the Caribbean and Brazil, all carrying dead bodies.