20 people found dead on boat drifting in Turks and Caicos

A boat was found drifting about a mile off Grand Turk island with 20 dead people on board, including two children, authorities in the Turks and Caicos Islands said Sunday, Report informs, citing RIA Novosti.

Fishers spotted the small boat Thursday morning and alerted the marine branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, who towed the vessel ashore.

The police communications officer, Takara Bain, said in a news release that investigators had discounted foul play and were looking at other possibilities without giving any specifics.

The Turks and Caicos are often a magnet for desperate Haitians seeking to flee that poverty-stricken nation. The territory also has been used as a transshipment point by human traffickers.