40 people rescued after fight leads to boat capsizing, Coast Guard says

The U.S. Coast Guard said its crews rescued at least 40 people from an overloaded boat Monday that capsized off Puerto Rico the day before after a fight broke out on board and people were injured by a machete.

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Crews also recovered two bodies, the agency said.

The initial crews that responded found people clinging to the overturned boat, which the Coast Guard called “makeshift” — a word it typically uses to describe migrant vessels — 10 miles off Mona Island, between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The crew of a civilian vessel, the Tripiti, reported to the Coast Guard that it rescued four people from the water, who reported that an estimated 60 people were originally on the boat. The survivors said that after the fight broke out around 11 p.m. Sunday, some people were severely wounded by the machete, and passengers began jumping into the water, trying to swim to Mona Island, the Coast Guard said in a statement, adding none wore life jackets.

The Coast Guard could not confirm Monday if the people on board were migrants because interviews with survivors had not yet been conducted.

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The search continues for other survivors, the Coast Guard said, adding that participants include crews from Sector San Juan, Air Station Miami, the Cutter Joseph Doyle, U.S. Customs Air and Marine Operations, Puerto Rico Police and the Dominican Republic Air Force.

The Coast Guard is asking anyone with information that might help with the search to call Sector San Juan at 787-289-2041.

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This story was originally published September 28, 2026 at 5:59 PM.