SANTO DOMINGO, July 14, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Rescuers found a seventh body on Sunday in the search for survivors and victims, after a boat carrying migrants capsized days ago off the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic.

The boat was heading for US territory Puerto Rico on Friday when it sank, according to the emergency responders of the Dominican Civil Defense.

"We are finishing today with the discovery of another body," Fernando Castillo, provincial director of the Civil Defense, told AFP as rescue efforts entered the third day.

So far, rescue teams have found 17 survivors who were Haitian and Dominican nationals, including one child.

"We are continuing the search as bodies continue to appear, but we don't know exactly how many people were on board the boat," added Castillo.

Several survivors said the boat was carrying between 40 and 50 people -- and they'd seen others alive in the water when their boat sank Friday -- but authorities are unable to confirm the exact number of passengers.

Rescue teams will resume the search on Monday and then assess whether to continue operations.

"We have miraculously seen people appear after four, five or six days" in previous disasters, Civil Defense Director Juan Salas told AFP.

Search operations over the weekend were impeded by difficult conditions including large quantities of sargassum seaweed and strong tides.

The migrants were traveling in a so-called "yola" boat, which are generally constructed from wood or fiberglass and do not comply with safety regulations, according to authorities.

Migrants pay as much as $7,000 for a one-way trip to Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic.

The route between the Dominican Republic -- which shares the island of Hispaniola with war-torn Haiti -- and Puerto Rico has grown in popularity for migrants in recent years.