Brazil seeking 19 migrants lost at seaa

Rio de Janeiro: At least 19 Brazilians were among the passengers of a boat believed to have capsized in the Caribbean sometime between November and December, local media reports said.

The boat was purportedly carrying illegal migrants attempting to reach US shores, and was last known to be sailing from the Bahamas to Miami, Florida, the report said on Sunday, citing Brazil`s Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Since the Brazilian passengers boarded the ship on November 6, their relatives have had no news from them, Xinhua news agency reported.

Authorities from Brazil, the Bahamas and the US have been in contact over the incident, the ministry said.

The US Coast Guard and its Bahamian counterpart were permanently patrolling the coasts, but have yet to detect signs of a possible shipwreck, the ministry added.