‘I had to survive!’ Sole survivor recalls harrowing ordeal of losing his sister and spending days out at sea after smuggling boat they were on with 38 other migrants capsized off Florida coast
- Juan Esteban Montoya Caicedo, 22, spoke out at a recent press conference after he was the sole survivor of a vessel that capsized off the Florida coast
- The survivor was traveling with his younger sister Maria Camila Montoya, 18, and a group of 38 other immigrants on January 22 from the island of Bimini
- The pair, who were from Colombia, were traveling to the US as a means of reuniting with their mother Marcia Caicedo in Houston, Texas
- The boat capsized early on Sunday after the motor had broken down and left the vessel adrift in the sea for four hours before a giant wave overturned it
- Montoya was the only surviving member found on the vessel on January 25 after a Good Samaritan contacted the US Coast Guard
- The incident is being investigated as a suspected human smuggling operation
The sole survivor of a capsized boat off the Florida coast has spoken about after he spent two days clinging to the vessel and losing his younger sister in the process.
Juan Esteban Montoya Caicedo, 22, of Colombia was the only survivor out of a group of 40 immigrants to survive the incident after he was rescued by members of the Coast Guard on January 25 about 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet State Park.
The vessel had left the island of Bimini just days earlier on January 22 which included immigrants from countries such as the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Bahamas and Jamaica.
The survivor’s younger sister Maria Camila Montoya, 18, was also on board with him as the pair planned to travel to Texas to reunite with their mother.
The boat’s motor had broke down early only hours after departing on January 23 which left the vessel adrift in the sea for about four hours.
A wave then caused the vessel to overturn and separated Montoya from his sister as well as from the other members of the traveling group.
The sole survivor of a capsized boat off the Florida coast has spoken about after he spent two days clinging to the vessel and losing his younger sister in the process
Colombian national Juan Esteban Montoya Caicedo, 22, spoke out a recent press conference on Monday after he was the sole survivor of a vessel that capsized off the Florida coast in January
Montoya was joined by his mother Marcia at a recent news conference on Monday to speak out about his experiences.
He recalls the moment the boat had overturned as it was one of the last memories he had of his sister before she drowned.
‘I managed to see her again,’ Montoya said at the conference. ‘But as I went to her to help her, the rest of the people were grabbing her.’
‘Everybody was holding on to everybody. That´s why she drowned.’
Montoya added that hours after the boat capsized the group continued to get smaller as the other travelers attempted to cling onto the vessel.
Montoya was traveling with his sister Maria (right) on the vessel before she drowned after the boat had capsized
Montoya was joined by his mother Marcia Giraldo (left) and attorney Naimeh Salem (right) at the conference in Fort Pierce, Florida
‘What we were going through was so difficult, some people let go,’ he added.
‘The lack of food, the lack of water and lack of rest affects you, and it led them to go that route.’
Montoya recalled that other people were still clinging to the vessel on the day before he was rescued.
‘When I was left alone it was harder, much harder. My health was worsening, mentally I was suffering,’ he said. ‘Being alone was one more blow. But I did not lose hope.’
He was rescued on January 25 after a Good Samaritan contacted the Coast Guard who saw Montoya clinging to the vessel.
He recalled that much of the time he was in the water holding onto the motor where he felt warmer but the night before his rescue he had climbed up onto the overturned hull.
The search by the Coast Guard was suspended on Thursday after five bodies were found
The boat left the island of Bimini in the Bahamas on January 22 before the boat later capsized about 45 miles east of Fort Pierce Inlet State Park in Florida
The incident remains under investigation as the US Coast Guard believes the incident was a human smuggling operation gone awry.The USCG Cutter Ibis and USCG Cutter Skipjack are seen docked at the U.S. Coast Guard station after searching for 39 people reported missing after their boat capsized
Montoya was later taken to a local hospital after he was found to be treated for symptoms of dehydration and sun exposure, according to a press release from the Coast Guard.
It is currently unclear if Montoya is being detained but his attorney Naimeh Salem has revealed that he could apply for political asylum.
Authorities have suspected that the vessel had been a part of a human smuggling incident that is currently being investigated.
Montoya said that he and his sister were trying to make it to the US border via boat as they found it easier to migrate at sea rather than land.
‘Criminals tell you it is safe,’ Montoya said. ‘They tell you that in three or four hours you will be in Miami coming from the Bahamas, that you are going on a good boat.’
‘They tell you that you are only traveling with a few people and with a life jacket- all of that is a lie.’
He added that he believes he had survived the incident as he was determined to tell his parents what happened to his sister
‘I hope that God has something very big for me since my heart is now broken,’ he said. ‘A part of me was taken.’
Montoya’s mother, who lives in Houston, said her daughter’s body has not been recovered, but she has stayed in touch with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Montoya’s mother said she wishes the search would have continued, adding that the pain of her loss just keeps growing and ‘the nights last forever.’
‘But here I am staying strong for my son,’ she said. ‘I will give him all the strength and support he needs.’
However, she is grateful to be able to hug her son again even after losing her daughter
‘He is my miracle, he’s a champion, for everything he overcame in that tragedy, with strength and full of courage,’ his mother told NBC.
‘Here I have him with me because I love him with all my heart.’
It is unclear if Montoya is being detained but is trying to seek political asylum
Montoya was also relieved to see his mother again despite the family’s current circumstances.
‘It was very exciting to see my mother again after so long,’ he told Noticias Telemundo.
‘It was something that I wanted for a long time, and something that my sister also wanted and unfortunately she could not be there.’
The US Coast Guard have since suspended the search after finding five bodies on Thursday.
‘Unfortunately, we have come to the most difficult time in any search and rescue case, and that is the point at which we decide when to cease actively searching,’ Miami Coast Guard commander Captain Jo-Ann Burdian said.
‘After careful consideration of all available information including weather conditions, number of people that went in the water without life jackets, time elapsed since the date of the accident, and an unrelenting search in an area bigger than Massachusetts, it’s with a heavy heart that I have decided to suspend the search.
‘On Tuesday, Jan. 25, the United States Coast Guard contacted HSI to advise they had initiated a search and rescue operation on a suspected smuggling venture involving the loss of life,’ Miami HSI agent Anthony Salisbury said.
‘HSI immediately responded and opened a parallel criminal investigation while the search and rescue mission was ongoing. As of right now this is still an ongoing investigation being pursued by HSI and its federal, state, local and foreign partners.’
The incident is being investigated as a human smuggling operation gone awry as Homeland Security officials are asking for information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the wreckage.
Source: Read Full Article
