Burning ship sinks off Haiti, 52 dead or missing

MIAMI, March 1 (Reuters) Two Haitians were rescued from the sea in poor condition and as many as 52 others were dead or missing from a sail-powered freighter that caught fire and capsized off Haiti, the US Coast Guard said today.

A yacht crew rescued the two survivors yesterday and they were taken to a hospital in the Dominican Republic for treatment of severe burns and dehydration, the Coast Guard said.

The crew of the Liberian-flagged merchant ship Kemeri recovered eight bodies and joined the Coast Guard search for 44 additional passengers who were believed to be missing, based on the survivors' account of the number of people aboard.

The survivors said their vessel left Haiti from the northern coastal town of Cap-Haitien but did not indicate when it sailed. It was headed for Providenciales 150 miles (240 km) away in the Turks and Caicos island chain when it sank about 25 miles from the border that separates Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the Coast Guard said.

Reuters DH VP0335