Haitian migrants repatriated

The US Coast Guard has repatriated 323 Haitian migrants after intercepting them on two overloaded sailboats in Bahamian waters on Friday.



Officials say this is the largest number of migrants from Port-au-Prince since the January earthquake.



The Coast Guard stopped an overloaded 40-foot vessel carrying 164 migrants about eight miles south of the Bahamian island, Great Inagua, on Friday.



Two days later another vessel was intercepted carrying 159 people, 33 miles west of Great Inagua.



Haitians’ attempts to reach the US illegally in small boats appeared to have decreased following the earthquake in January, because of the impact of the disaster as well as the strong US military presence.