Nine people died after Ecuadorean boat sinks

Quito, Ecuador, Aug 9: At least nine Ecuadoreans trying to reach the United States drowned after their flimsy craft sank in the Pacific Ocean, the Ecuadorean navy said.

The bodies were found on beaches near the port city of Manta, located 160 miles (260 km) southwest of the capital Quit. The navy launched an air and sea search-and-rescue operation to look for survivors or more corpses.

''Authorities don't know if there were more people on the boat because these type of craft can only take up to 20 people,'' the Navy said in a release yesterday.

Authorities said why the boat sunk or when are still unknown.

Thousand of Ecuadoreans leave their poverty-stricken country every year in search of better-paid jobs in the United States and Europe. The immigration tide has created a network of human smugglers who charge would-be immigrants between 10,000 dollars and 15,000 dollars to get them across the United States border.

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Reuters