67 Boats Intercepted; Another Sinks

The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted 2,628 Haitian refugees heading toward U.S. shores in 67 boats Monday, the most ever in a single day.

Another boat, packed with at least 200 refugees, capsized off the west coast early Monday, and two survivors said dozens drowned. The toll could reach 150, the survivors and townspeople said, but an accurate death count could not be determined by late Monday.

U.S. refugee-processing facilities off Jamaica and at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are already strained just two weeks after a more liberal program toward the refugees went into effect.

Panama said Monday that it is planning to house up to 10,000 Haitians. But that would accommodate only a few days of refugees if the exodus continues at its current pace.