28 of 80 Survivors of the missing yola

El Caribe online reporting 33 people rescued, plus 2 bodies.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/articulo...d=C97469DCABA84AF4A673DCFFA9127B72&Seccion=63

Man, Oh Man!!

Lambada said:

El Caribe online reporting 33 people rescued, plus 2 bodies.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/articulo...d=C97469DCABA84AF4A673DCFFA9127B72&Seccion=63

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That is tragic. The things that people would do so scape being poor and miserable.
The sad thing is that some will not learn and STILL try and leave the country the same way as those that died!!!!!!!!.

Also, very sad, Miguel

There was a report yesterday, same source, that Dominican Consul in Puerto Rico was reporting these people were alive & in Cuba......so a lot of relatives must have got their hopes up. I thought it was odd at the time, because Cuba is in the wrong direction.

One of the 33 people rescued, died tonight.http://www.elcaribe.com.do/articulo...d=0A2BB16CB9FA4674A20DB1C27A87881D&Seccion=63

Here's what showed up in Diario Libre today. According to them, 34 were rescued, 29 were hospitalized but 5 died in the hospital. See below the story in spanish.

"SANTO DOMINGO. La Marina de Guerra rescat? con vida, en estado de insolaci?n y deshidratados, a 34 viajeros ilegales del grupo de 79 que estaban desaparecidos desde hac?a diez d?as...

...Del grupo rescatado, 29 fueron hospitalizados en estado de gravedad y cinco murieron. Cuarenticinco se encuentran desaparecidos, seg?n la instituci?n...

Arelis Florentino Garc?a, de 32 a?os, quien est? interna, dijo que una parte de los viajeros, hambrientos y desesperados por regresar a tierra, se lanz? al mar, muriendo en el acto. Ella presenta deshidrataci?n severa y quemaduras de primer y segundo grados. Fue hospitalizada en el Centro M?dico Dr. Ovalle, de San Francisco de Macor?s.

La Marina de Guerra inform? que los frustrados viajeros fueron encontrados por una unidad auxiliar de la instituci?n que realizaba un operativo.

Sin embargo, la Defensa Civil revel? que fueron pescadores los que hallaron a los n?ufragos y los ayudaron a salir a tierra, en las proximidades de Matancitas, provincia Mar?a Trinidad S?nchez.

Traves?a

El grupo de 79 parti? del r?o Barracote, pr?ximo a la bah?a de Saman?, y llegaron al islote de Desecheo, cerca de Puerto Rico, que no tiene agua ni vegetaci?n. All? se les da?aron los motores y quedaron a la deriva por diez d?as. Iban botando los muertos, seg?n fallec?an y llegaron a las costas de Matancitas, en Nagua, llevados por las corrientes, explicaron ?stos a autoridades de la Marina."

- Manuel V?lquez y Cornelio Batista, Diario Libre

Once more, the sadder side of life in the DR is what makes the international news. Spanish TV news is carrying some harrowing reports from the scene, which is remarkably similar to the situation we have here, just 7kms from the north African coast.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3557234.stm

Chiri

Well...

I have a question. Why is there no mention of anything about this in the DR1 news, the premier news source in ingles for all things Dominican?

Hey, DR1 news editors...why does this story, assuming it really happened (cause you can't always trust the BBC), not merit a mention in your online rag? Is there some slant in your reporting? Or is it another one of those rumors conjured up by "other websites"? Enquiring minds want to know.

And a comment...What a tragic testament to the state of this nation. I can't imagine the desperation and sadness that leads a person to this "solution". I pray for the families that suffer this loss and I pray that the Dominican people can someday enjoy a country where they can imagine and accomplish a future within. God rest the souls of those perished.

Too bad that the elitist Dominican culture (expats included) will minimize this story, continue to ignore their plight, and perpetuate the madness that leads one to believe that it is the only way out.

OK, you can all return to complaining about electricity. That's newsworthy.

Bob, the DR1 news was following the story when the yola was being reported as missing. The sad truth is that these stories are more common than one realises, this one happened to be picked up by the international media but it is not an isolated incident. The DR1 news has covered many events of this sort over the last few years, and I don't know why it was not in yesterday's edition, but the likelihood is it will be covered in today's.

It would have been better to e-mail Dolores with your question instead of jumping to uncharitable conclusions about people who care deeply about the DR and its people.

Chiri

It was in the news

Monday August 9 2004

11. No trace of the 79
In spite of rumors to the contrary, there has been no trace of the 79 people that left the tiny dock on the Barracote River last 29 July en route to Puerto Rico. Neither the United States Coast Guard nor the Dominican Navy has been able to find any evidence of the boat or any hard evidence of a disaster. The authorities have alerted officials from the Immigration Office to see whether the organizer of the illegal and deadly trip, Maximo Jose, has left the country or not. The communities of Guaraguao, Barraquito and La Jagua are being combed to discover his whereabouts. Naval units from Samana and La Romana were searching the seas around Cabo Engano and along the Mona Passage. According to El Nacional, 30 of the 79 persons aboard the boat were from Villa Rivas, 20 were women and their ranks included a teacher, woodworkers, masons and students. These people paid nearly US$1,000 each to board the illegal craft. El Caribe reports that people in the area have tried to raise money to hire aircraft to search for victims, but their efforts have fallen short. Some community member said the Dominican Navy did not act for several days after being advised of their fears of a tragedy. According to El Caribe, the Navy is ill-equipped to carry out search and rescue missions. At the naval post at La Jagua, a section of Arenoso, the official in charge said they did not have a boat or any equipment to take on the task of a search. With some irony, the paper noted that the official said, ?We are not on the search because we are always working.? At the time, the officer and his men were chatting and whiling away the afternoon.

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I accidently deleted Wednesday's news so I'm not sure if finding the yola was reported.

I checked in archives and yes the survivors story was in Wednesday

http://www.dr1.com/news/2004/

The story has received very unusual attention here in Toronto. The Globe and Mail newspaper had a large photo and story on the front page Thursday. On Telelatino television they had actual film of the crowd pulling the survivors out of the yola on the beach.
Similar events have been happening for years without much coverage. Those who have made it and those who have not. In june, 17 young people from a small barrio in our town outside Santiago set out under similar circumstances. They all arrived in Puerto Rico safe and sound. They left land in the evening and by morning some had already phoned home. Their so called success only drives more to try.

From Wednesday, Aug. 11:

Survivors!
Contrary to what had been predicted, today?s newspapers report on the rescue of more than 30 survivors from the small boat that left with 80 travelers bound for Puerto Rico. The boat was spotted near the Poza de Bojolo off the North Coast of the Saman? Peninsula, near the city of Nagua. El Caribe says that 33 people were rescued, while Hoy reports 39 survivors. All of those rescued were seriously dehydrated and in need of emergency attention at the hospitals and private clinics of Nagua, San Francisco de Macoris and Santiago de los Caballeros. One survivor reportedly died while being treated at the hospital in San Francisco de Macoris. And, according to the Diario Libre, four more have died due to their exposure to the sun and dehydration. According to Hoy, one of the survivors, Maribel Gil, told reporters there were only 78 people traveling aboard the boat, not the 80 that has been reported in most of the media. Of the 38 travelers still unaccounted for, several purportedly died during the voyage and were thrown overboard, while others, terrified, tired and hungry, tried to swim ashore. Ten of the swimmers made it to dry land, according to Civil Defense spokesperson in Nagua, Minerva Santos. The group was located at the mouth of the Gran Estero, the waterway that divides the peninsula from the mainland. Of the 29 found on the boat, one was dead, a teacher named Ligia Santana. Santos said the survivors were first spotted by two divers, Dormang Antonio Florimon and Ambiorix Bonilla, who were fishing in the area and guided the group to the shore. The divers then reported their sighting to the Dominican Navy. There is some confusion as to why the tragedy occurred. Hoy has reported that the motor fell off the craft, causing two of the boards to be torn off and setting the boat to drift. In the Diario Libre, the boat was reported to have been found with the motor still attached, however. The voyagers? nightmare began near the Isla Desecheo, a waterless and deserted island near the coast of Puerto Rico, used by illegal boats as a point of reference.

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DR1 was a step ahead by reporting this one day before other sources.

I guess we are owed an apology... :cheeky:

Chiri

Well, you won't get one from me.

But thanks for giving me a reason to chime in, and bring this back to the top.

The responses actually go quite a way to prove my point. A tragic incident where over 50 people die. People continue to die for days after. Stories of terrible incidents at sea. Captain dissappears to points unknown. Navy was involved. Arrests.

Compelling enough to get coverage in Canada, U.S., England, etc. But what does it get here? A blurb, "below the fold", saying it happened. And a measly little thread (despite my effort to spark some discussion) that sinks like a rock...with most of the discussion to stand up for the board owners nearly complete ignorance of the event.

That's OK, though. It explains a lot about the mindset of DR folks. These were poor folk. Why make a big deal. There's plenty more where they came from. Its happened before, it'll happen again. They asked for it. Why dwell on it.

And this news source? Well, I think I understand their editorial policy. And their lack of response to my question just resounds the attitude: Who cares? Their prerogative is to report what they want and to support whatever mission they have. And mine is to go to other news sources to get the information that I won't get here, the information that's being reported in the local (spanish) news sources and around the world.

So, Chiri, don't hold your breath for an apology...you might turn blue and die. And don't expect such an odd death to be reported here, unless they can figure a way to burn your body and generate more electricity. Then it'd be worth a blurb.

Love, Bob

Read the thread again, you plonker. The challenge to DR1 was completely shown up by Anna and Jane J. who were able to demonstrate that the event was covered sympathetically and in a timely manner by the DR1 news.

Chiri

How long have you been on this board? What happened to those people is a horrible thing but it's not the first time this has happened and unfortunaly won't be the last. Have you ever read about the guys that paid money to someone at the airport to be sneaked into a wheelwell only to end up frozen and not making it to the other side? It's been covered here. Just because the international media isn't interested doesn't mean people around here don't care.

It's been covered so what is your point anyways? If kuda is bobnoxious then no need to answer.

debajoelsol said:

The story has received very unusual attention here in Toronto. The Globe and Mail newspaper had a large photo and story on the front page Thursday. .

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Oh yes in case you missed this Bob it was covered in Canada. Toronto is in Canada in case you're not aware of his. :laugh:

Oh my god, this is completely insane...

First the name calling starts (and I'm not sure what a plonker is, but I think it's bad...so then if I call you a Mother Plonker, that'd be, like, really bad).

Follow that by the Wrath of Anna. Dual posts no less. Must have really got under that cold canuck skin of yours, eh?

Now, don't get your panties in a bunch, ladies. But see if you can follow this. The thread is about DEAD POOR PEOPLE that nobody cares about, not your prescious little playground.

I made a challenge, quite simply, that the DR1 news was remiss in their lack of coverage. That other news outlets (and I did mention Canada - get out the granny glasses, Anna - which is where Toronto exists I've been told) deemed it newsworthy. I did read the stories of the lost boat last week. I did read the story that said "Yeah, we found a boat...lots of dead poor people (that nobody cares about)...bad motor...some survivors...and now onto other news". Thursday, nothing. Friday, nothing, Today, nothing. A developing story of international proportion. In media everywhere but here. What gives? That was my point and question (which, by the way, has never been answered).

There's also a related story about 6 Naval personnel that have been arrested and are being investigated for taking bribes related to this excursion. But you won't read that here either. Because it's about DEAD POOR PEOPLE that nobody cares about.

So, if you'd like - oh, grand keeper of the boards - to spin off another thread about the DR1 News editorial slant, I'd be most happy to contribute. Then you and your horde can smack me around like a red-headed stepchild. And then I won't feel like I'm hijacking this thread about DEAD POOR PEOPLE that nobody cares about.

Here, you can start it out with this:
**********************************
So, is there light or what? How are generators doing? Do you think the peso's going to drop more? Is there gas? Could there be more Generals added? Ooh, compelling, better be sure to read the DR1 news tomorrow and find out!
**********************************

(Oh, and Kuda, I do apolgize to you, good buddy, for not logging you out before I unleashed my rant. You certainly don't want to be associated with me.)

The bottom line as I see it is that all the people on the yola had a choice, go or not to go. Loss of life is most always a terrible thing but the key is, they all had a choice. Some make it, some don't. Had bob/kuda been there, would you have tired to talk any of them out of going? Do you think your words of wisdom would have made a difference to any of them? I doubt it. I spoke to a Haitian gentleman several years ago in Samana, he was working his way north and/or east. He knew the risk and was willing to take it again and again. I liken the boat people to the motoconcho drivers in a way. Which is more dangerous? I don't know but I assume that a motoconcho drivers expected life span is less than that of a taxi driver and a boat person would not drown if they never went to sea.
Sad to say but they all become statistics after a while, similar to six million jews in WW2. Perhaps someday I will be a statistic of some sort with or without my 15 minutes of fame. The world news and dr1 did a decent job of reporting a newsworthy item. End of story.
I'm also wondering what a plonker is. But i'll probably live fine not knowing. Oh well.

So, then, Bob, what is this really all about? Is it really about dead poor people Bob? Who are you to say you care more about them than anyone else here?

I don't know you so I won't assume that you don't care about them, or that you have done nothing for the people of the DR, as you seem to be implying about others here. The point is that you complained there was no coverage on DR1 about the yola. This, you suggested, and in fairly insulting terms, proved that DR1 management and the forum members did not care about the tragedy. The name calling started there.

The posters here responded - politely at first - by pointing out your error. It was also mentioned that another way to go about it would have been to e-mail the news editor with a civil question: it is fine to be critical but blazing in making offensive assumptions about people's ethics, their humanity and their priorities is certainly not.

The 'apology' post was a joke, because it is clear from your approach that your intention is to insult and provoke, which you continued to do even when your basic premise was shown to be unfounded.

Incidentally, there were two threads about the tragedy, the other one was started before Michael Strong's powerful eyewitness account. Search the forums and you will see that when there is a disaster of this sort, there is often debate about it on the forums.

My regret is that the international media does not report every single incident, to shame the authorities into confronting the fact that so many of their citizens are reduced to taking these desperate measures. Not because of repression, war or any of the usual reasons that lead to the flight of refugees in other parts of the world, but because they live in a country where you are lucky if you earn US$50 a month. Many people do not even earn that.

Save your wrath for bad government, corruption and the web of complex reasons that drives people onto yolas.

Dare I mention the power cuts? Poor Dominicans are suffering. It's not just about expats and rich Dominicans not being able to run their airconditioning. It is about small businesses (colmados, hair salons) going bust because they can't operate without electricity. It is about larger employers letting go of staff for the same reason. It is about state hospitals where babies die because there is no power for the incubators. These are also factors in sending people in search of a better life elsewhere.

DR1 bases its coverage on the Dominican media, and in most people's opinion does an unrivalled job of bringing news about the country and its problems - as well as its assets - to a very broad range of English-speaking readers within the DR and outside of it.

Chiri