President Donald Trump has carried out numerous military strikes on boats the administration says are carrying narcotics, killing more than 60 people.

Neither the White House nor the Pentagon has provided evidence that the boats were carrying drugs. The strikes have drawn criticism from Democrats on the legality of using deadly force on targets that don't pose immediate threats. But the Trump administration says the strikes are part of an "armed conflict" with drug cartels, though they have not received Congressional approval.

Over the last few months, the military has also ramped up operations near Venezuela, and Trump has said he authorized the CIA to carry out secret operations in the country.

See the latest roundup of the boat strikes and their death toll:

How many people have died in the boat strikes?

At least 65 people have died, many of them Venezuelan.

How many people have survived the boat strikes?

Two people are known to have survived, according to the New York Times.

In an attack on a submarine announced Oct. 18, Trump said two passengers died but two others survived and they would be returned to their home countries.

In a series of three strikes on four boats in late October in the Pacific Ocean, 14 people were killed and one survived. Mexican authorities took over the search-and-rescue for the survivor, but the Times reported they were not able to find the individual, and he is presumed dead.

When have the boat strikes occurred?

The first boat strikes were announced in early September. Here is a roundup of the boat strikes to date:

  • On Sept. 2, 11 people died in a strike on a boat suspected of carrying drugs from Venezuela in the southern Caribbean. Trump said they were Tren da Aragua members.
  • Trump announced on Sept. 15 that he ordered the strike on a boat in international waters, killing three people.
  • On Sept. 19, Trump said he struck another vessel, killing "3 male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel," Reuters reported.
  • Hegseth announced a strike on Oct. 3 on a boat off the coast of Venezuela that killed four.
  • On Oct. 14, Trump announced a military strike on a vessel off the coast of Venezuela that killed six men.
  • Announced Oct. 18, Trump said the U.S. strike destroyed a submarine, killing two people, while two others survived. The strike happened Oct. 16, according to Reuters.
  • On Oct. 19, Hegseth said a strike in the Caribbean killed three people days earlier.
  • The U.S. struck a boat allegedly carrying drugs on Oct. 21, killing two people, Heseth said. It was the first known attack in the Pacific, according to Reuters.
  • Hegseth also announced Oct. 22, three more people died in another strike in the Pacific Ocean.
  • Hegseth announced Oct. 24 the military had conducted its first strike at night, hitting a boat in the Caribbean and killing six people.
  • In a series of three strikes on four boats in the Pacific Ocean, 14 people were killed and one survived, the Pentagon announced on Oct. 28. The survivor is now presumed dead.
  • Hegseth announced that another four people were killed in the eastern Pacific on Oct. 29.
  • On Nov. 1, Hegseth announced another strike on a boat in the Caribbean that killed three men on board.

A Senate measure introduced by Democratic Senators Adam Schiff and Tim Kaine aimed to stop the strikes but the measure failed in the Senate on Oct. 8.

Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Zac Anderson, Joey Garrison and Davis Winkie

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How many people have died in Trump’s boat strikes? 15 boats blasted this year

Reporting by Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect