U.S. Coast Guard drops search for missing Dominicans

MIAMI (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday it suspended its search for a boat with more than 90 illegal migrants aboard thought to have sunk last week as it sailed between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

A four-day search by air and sea, focusing on a stretch of water known as the Mona Passage, which separates the Dominican Republic from Puerto Rico, yielded no sign of the missing vessel, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The often treacherous waterway is a well-known transit point for illegal migrants seeking to enter the U.S. territory from Hispaniola, the Caribbean island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

The missing vessel reportedly set out for Puerto Rican shores last Wednesday.

"The search has been suspended pending further developments. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and loved ones of the missing Dominicans," said Capt, Eduardo Pino, a Coast Guard commander.

"We call out to the Dominican people for their help in preventing these tragedies. Do not allow your loved ones to put their lives in the hands of migrant smugglers, criminals, who care only about making a profit."

(Reporting by Tom Brown)