US Coast Guard reports 11 dead from capsized vessel off Puerto Rico’s coast

WASHINGTON

The US Coast Guard reported 11 people dead after a suspected smuggling vessel capsized off the coast of Puerto Rico on Thursday.

"As of 6 p.m. Thursday, responding partner agency units have rescued 31 survivors, 11 female and 20 male. 11 deceased have been recovered," it said on Twitter.

Earlier, it said in a statement that the rescue crews responded to "a mass rescue case of an undetermined amount of people in the water from a capsized vessel suspected of taking part in an illegal voyage, approximately 10 nautical miles north of Desecheo Island."

The authorities got a communication at approximately 11.47 a.m. and the people in the water did not appear to be wearing life jackets, said the statement.