TCI: NO FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED IN 'COFFIN BOAT' INVESTIGATION

Authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands have ruled out foul play on the case of a boat found in its territorial waters off Grand Turk with 20 dead people on board.

The nationalities of the deceased, who include two children, are still not known, nor the circumstances surrounding the origins of the boat although it is believed to be a human trafficking operation that has had terrible consequences.

Officials say investigations are continuing.

TCI Police Commissioner Trevor Botting said the boat appeared to have come from outside the Caribbean and authorities did not think it was destined for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The craft was spotted by fishermen about two weeks ago who notified the authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The territory has an ongoing illegal immigration challenge with illegal refugees arriving by boat mainly from Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The islands have also been used as a transhipment point by human traffickers trying to smuggle people into the United States.