By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS of Staniel Cay, Exuma, provided food and water as well as a change of clothing for the nearly 100 Haitians who made their way into the settlement after their sloop sank, Royal Bahamas Police Force officials said yesterday.

In total, authorities arrested 92 migrants yesterday.

Superintendent Mactavaus Daniels, officer-in-charge of the George Town, Exuma Police Station, said the undocumented migrants “walked through” the town of Staniel Cay before being noticed by residents, who subsequently notified the authorities.

However, Superintendent Daniels said local residents were “quite hospitable and accommodating,” providing the migrants with food, water and fresh clothing after the ordeal.

He added that the undocumented migrants offered no resistance or hostility, and were “cooperative” with officials while being taken into custody.

Superintendent Daniels said the discovery was made around 5am yesterday. The group consisted of 92 migrants - 72 adult males, six juvenile males, 12 adult females and two juvenile females.

“They came right into Staniel Cay on the ocean side,” he said. “Once they made (it to) shore then the boat submerged. They walked through the town and residents noticed these people, and they alerted other residents, they alerted the police, and then they started rounding them up. We were able to get everybody.”

Superintendent Daniels added: “(The Haitian nationals) were quite cooperative. We didn’t have any problem at all with that. No one was injured. The people in Staniel Cay were quite hospitable and accommodating, they made sure that they had food and water, gave them clothing, etc, and everything went well. We feel pretty sure that we were able to get everybody.”

Last month, ten Haitians were apprehended by Royal Bahamas Defence Force officials in waters near Inagua.

The undocumented migrants were reportedly found aboard a 40-foot American registered sailing vessel anchored off Inagua.

That apprehension came after 170 Haitian migrants were apprehended in waters off Bimini two days earlier.