92 Ecuadorian Immigrants
Rescued On High Seas by
U.S. Coastguard
Ninety-two Ecuadorian
illegal immigrants
returned to their home
country Thursday, two
days after being rescued
on the high seas, some
344 km west of Costa
Rica, by the U.S.
coastguard, Ecuador's
Navy reported.
Ecuador's Navy
Department said in a
bulletin that the U.S.
coastguard rescued the
immigrants who were
aboard a dilapidated
boat without licenses or
flags.
A U.S. airplane first
spotted the boat named "Paco"
and reported it to the
coastguard before a
rescue operation was
launched.
The number of Ecuadorian
immigrants has increased
following the1998-1999
financial crisis, which
was considered the worst
one in the history of
the South American
country.
The Ecuadorian
government estimated
that some 2 million
Ecuadorians live
overseas -- most of them
in the United States,
Spain and Italy -- while
reports from other
sources put the figure
at about 3 million.
|
|
