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One person has been found dead and another injured as authorities search for two other Cuban migrants reported missing off Key Biscayne near Miami.
One person has died, another was injured and two more are missing after a suspected group of Cuban migrants ran into trouble near Miami while trying to flee the Communist island aboard homemade rafts.
A fellow boater spotted the injured migrant Monday afternoon aboard a raft about 7 miles southwest of Key Biscayne, off the Miami coast, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson said. The rescued man told responders that he suspected his three traveling companions had drowned after he lost sight of them.
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One body was recovered in the water, the spokesperson said, and the search for the other two reported travelers is ongoing. A Coast Guard helicopter and airplane and several boat crews have helped in the search.
Cuba is only 90 miles south of the southernmost point in the United States, Key West, Fla. Migrants frequently try to flee Cuba aboard unseaworthy vessels for the nearby American shore.
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Anyone with information on reported sightings of the two people missing is encouraged to call Coast Guard Sector Miami at 305-535-4316.
