Family members of 27 people killed when a fishing boat sank off Honduras on Wednesday are waiting back at port for their bodies to be returned to shore.
The 70-ton Capt. waly sank during bad weather in the Caribbean off Honduras' northeastern coast near Cayo Gordo, a cay about 75 miles (120 kilometers) offshore, the Central American country's military said. Six people remained missing and 58 others had been rescued.
Armed forces spokesman José Domingo Meza says the cadavers are still on the high seas and some have begun decomposing.
President Juan Orlando Hernández said Thursday via Twitter that authorities are coordinating rescue operations and aiding victims and relatives.
The dead included the vessel's captain, a cook, a crewman, 19 lobster divers and five cay residents. Six people are said to be missing, and 58 were rescued.
The Caribbean commercial fishermen's association in Honduras said nearby boats were summoned to the scene to pick up the survivors.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
U.S. & World
Authorities said another fishing vessel with 49 men aboard also sank or capsized in the same area earlier, but all aboard were rescued.
According to photos, the Capt. Waly apparently put to sea loaded with small skiffs that the fishermen work from.
