San Juan (Puerto Rico), Mar 28 (AP) One person died and 16 are missing after a boat capsized near the eastern Caribbean island of St. Kitts early on Tuesday, authorities said.

The boat was carrying 32 passengers, 16 of which were rescued, according to the government's Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Services.

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Officials in Antigua are leading the search and said the majority of those rescued are from unidentified countries in Africa. It was not immediately clear where the person who died was from.

The boat sank about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Antigua. It was not immediately clear where it was headed, Col. Telbert Benjamin, chief of defence for Antigua and Barbuda's Defence Force, told the government's media outlet.

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An official with the Antigua and Barbuda Coast Guard told The Associated Press the search for possible survivors was continuing. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)