WASHINGTON, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday that it has recovered the bodies of 20 people who were traveling in a boat that sank in the waters of Caribbean near the Bahamas.

    Three other people -- two Haitians and a Honduran -- were rescued, said Coast Guard spokesman Barry Bena.

    According to the survivors, all of the 23 people were Haitians except for the single Honduran. They are apparently illegal immigrants.

    Their boat capsized about 24 km northwest of Nassau, the capital of Bahamas, last Saturday night, leaving those on board in the water for hours.

    In light of Haiti's deepening economic crisis, many Haitians attempted to flee their country in boats and enter the United States illegally via the Caribbean.

    The Coast Guard has intercepted 247 people from Haiti this month and 972 so far this year.