Some 20 Cubans missing south of Key West in the midst of hurricane

About 20 Cuban migrants were reported missing in the southern Florida Keys after their boat sank on Wednesday, the Border Patrol said.

Four of those on the boat managed to swim to land, said the patrol’s chief agent, Walter Slosar. The official did not reveal how many men, women or children were traveling on the fragile boat but said the rescue team was looking for about 20. However, a Univision report stated that 27 people were on the boat.

The incident occurred at the same time that the dangerous effects of Hurricane Ian were felt in the area. Ian, a category 4 hurricane, entered South Florida through the western part of the city of Ft. Meyers late Wednesday afternoon.

Slosar, who heads the Miami sector of the Border Patrol, tweeted that the four migrants who came ashore had been found on Stock Island, east of Key West. The official directly attributed the hurricane as the cause of the disaster. “Inclement weather,” he noted.

By mid-afternoon, the Coast Guard reported, without revealing nationalities, that its aircrews had rescued three other migrants from the water about two miles south of Boca Chica Key in Key West in a separate incident.

According to the authorities, those three migrants were taken to a local hospital to treat symptoms of exhaustion and dehydration and joined the four earlier migrants assessed there, after they swam ashore.

Aircrews continued to search in helicopters for the remaining missing migrants.

Authorities have repeatedly warned migrants through various channels not to take to the sea, especially to desist during hurricane conditions, which make an already treacherous journey even more dangerous.

On Tuesday, as weather conditions worsened, a group of seven Cuban immigrants washed ashore in Pompano Beach, north of Miami in eastern Florida.

Author

Rui Ferreira