Coast Guard rescues 34 Venezuelans, including a 2-year-old, en route to Curaçao

The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard working off the coast of Curaçao found a small wooden boat at sea containing 34 Venezuelans, including a two-year-old child. All 34 people were safely brought to shore, the Coast Guard said on Wednesday.

The boat first appeared on radar on Tuesday night, local time, the Coast Guard said on social media. They then dispatched a Dash 8 turboprop airplane to verify the discovery.

"The DASH flew out and confirmed that a Yola type boat was spotted between Klein Curaçao and Curaçao," the Coast Guard said. "One of our Metal Shark interception boats was immediately dispatched to assist and intercept this vessel."

The crew aboard the Metal Shark found 24 adult men, 9 adult women, and the young child. They were safely brought to Curaçao, and handed over to police for processing.

Yolo fishing boats have been used for years in Central America as a method for trying to carry out a people smuggling operation. Many citizens of Venezuela have spent several years trying to flee that country by any means.

At one point, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro closed his countries borders, including the sea border with Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao.