The Coast Guard is searching for a boat containing 23 Cuban immigrants who disappeared in the waters of the Florida Keys this Wednesday, United States Border Patrol agent Walter N. Solosar said on his Twitter. The boat made its reckless journey in the midst of Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in Florida early this afternoon. According to US authorities, four of its passengers managed to save their lives by swimming to the shore of Stock Island east of Key West. The conditions under which the survivors are found are unclear.
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Ian has reached the west coast of the peninsula and traced a southwest-northwest trajectory in sustained winds of 155 miles per hour (about 250 kilometers per hour), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). It borders Category 5, the most dangerous, and threatens to leave a catastrophic trail of rain, flooding and destruction in its wake.
The meteorological phenomenon had left the island of Cuba by dawn, where it caused two deaths and a total blackout. More than 11 million Cubans are without power after the electrical breakdown.
In another tweet, Slosar recalled that seven Cubans arrived in Pompano Beach (southeast Florida) on Tuesday. The news was accompanied by an image of the precarious barge in which they made their journey. He also warned: “Don’t throw yourself into the sea. Storm surges coupled with the royal tide can create treacherous conditions even after the storm has passed.”
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According to local authorities, so far this year the United States has repatriated 6,052 Cubans after they were intercepted by sea. Another 64 lost their lives in the waters separating the two countries.
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In early 2022, the 40 immigrants traveling aboard an eight-meter canoe lost their lives, minus one. They set out from Bimini, a chain of islands in the Bahamas about 55 miles (88 kilometers) east of Miami. A storm surprised them while driving, and a private boat discovered the figure of a man on the skeleton of a boat about 70 kilometers from the port of Fort Pierce, Florida. The Coast Guard then launched a search for the remaining passengers in an area approximately 135 miles (218 kilometers). There was no luck and authorities concluded the search without finding any other survivors.
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