Makeshift boat with migrants capsizes near Puerto Rico

U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities are searching for passengers of a makeshift boat carrying migrants that capsized near Puerto Rico.

On Friday, authorities received a 911 call reporting an overturned vessel near Shacks Beach in Isabela. Authorities believe the ship was being used to smuggle people into the island.

Survivors claimed that there were 27 people on board the ship before it capsized. So far, authorities have detained 12 passengers, according to the Coast Guard. Authorities are searching the area to find the missing passengers.

This incident comes at a time when there is a surge in seaborne migration. Thousands of people are boarding makeshift boats in an attempt to reach the United States for better opportunities.

Earlier this week, rescue crews were searching for 39 migrants who were on board a ship that capsized near Florida. The boat had departed from the Bahamas and faced adverse weather on its way to the U.S., causing it to capsize.