This is too sad. "Haitian survivor clung to corpse in sea"

[Judi Lynn]

Haitian survivor clung to corpse in sea
April 24, 2008 - 5:05pm

By TOSHEENA ROBINSON-BLAIR
Associated Press Writer

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) - The moonlight illuminated the young woman's fellow passengers from the capsized boat, scattered through the chilly ocean 15 miles from land. Some of them screamed for help. Others bobbed silently, face-down in the water.

As the voices grew quiet one by one, Rodene Fileresaint clung to the only life preserver she could find: the lifeless body of a Haitian who had shared her American dream.

"I was holding onto a dead woman to keep afloat," the 23-year-old high school student said.

Nine hours later, day broke and rescuers finally arrived. Some two dozen people were dead. Three were alive, including Fileresaint.

She was still clinging to the corpse.

Thousands of Haitians fleeing poverty and hopelessness make the illegal crossing to Florida each year. The U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted 737 since Jan. 1; nobody knows how many more have drowned or been killed by sharks.

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