THE Royal Bahamas Defence Force is actively searching for possible migrants after an empty sloop was found drifting in waters approximately eight nautical miles off Goulding Cay on Saturday.

In a statement, the RBDF said after the agency received initial reports from the US Coast Guard liaison officer that two Haitian sloops had left Haiti, air and sea assets were immediately deployed to conduct search operations in the areas of the possible routes taken by the sloops.

Additional assistance in the search also included aerial reconnaissance by a US Coast Guard fixed wing aircraft, a drone and members of the RBDF Commando Squadron Unit, which conducted searches on several cays in the Exuma chain.

“In addition to the extensive search operations, the Immigration Department also assisted with foot patrols along the southern shores of the capital, and the Royal Bahamas Police Force conducted shore and mobile patrols,” the RBDF said.

“Areas of interest included the northern and central islands of The Bahamas and surrounding cays, and inlets and shorelines of the capital. Currently, no evidence of an actual migrant landing has been detected along the southern coast of New Providence by immigration, police and defence force officers.”

The RBDF said as a result of the discovery of the abandoned Haitian sloop, “a thorough search has been launched by the relevant authorities to investigate the location of the possible migrants who may have been onboard”.

An active investigation is also underway to determine if the migrants may have been assisted at sea and taken to Nassau, or if they are abandoned along the cays in the Exumas.