Nicaragua arrests illegal Chinese after accident

Beijing, May 28: Nicaraguan police have arrested 38 illegal Chinese immigrants on their way to the United States after the boat in which they were travelling collided with another craft on a river, Chinese state radio said today.

The accident, which claimed five lives, happened early on Friday, the radio said in a report carried on its Web site. Three Chinese were still unaccounted for, it added.

The boat was also carrying 14 undocumented Ecuadorean immigrants, the report said.

Repatriation of the Chinese or official assistance to them could be complicated by the fact that China and Nicaragua have no diplomatic relations. Managua maintains formal ties with Taiwan, the self-ruled island over which Beijing claims sovereignty.

Reuters>