At least five people are dead and twelve others are missing after a makeshift boat of migrants trying to reach the United States from Cuba capsized.
The rudimentary vessel sank earlier this week north of Cayo Cruz del Padre, near the municipality of Cardenas, in the Cuban province of Matanzas, reported ‘Cuba Debate’.
As reported by some of the survivors to local media, the incident took place due to a strong swell. It is estimated that a total of 28 people were occupying the boat, of which eleven have been rescued by border troops.
As reported by local media ‘Cuba Debate’, all the passengers are residents of the municipality of Cárdeneas, 115 kilometers east of Havana, who left the country illegally on Monday with the aim of reaching the U.S. coast.
At this moment, the authorities continue with the search for the missing and the investigation of the incident.
Earlier, the U.S. Coast Guard carried out an operation to repatriate 45 Cuban rafters who were at sea, near the coast of Florida, with the aim of reaching the country.
The U.S. Coast Guard warned small boats, in light of the latest weather updates, not to attempt to cross the Florida straits because they were «dangerous and unpredictable.»
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
