MIAMI, (Reuters) – A Carnival Cruise ship rescued 41 Cuban migrants from a small, overcrowded boat in the Florida Straits, the 90-mile span of water between the southern tip of Florida and Cuba, a U.S. Coast Guard official said yesterday.
No injuries were reported and the migrants were transferred to a nearby U.S. Coast Guard ship after they were spotted on Tuesday, according to Coast Guard spokesman Gabe Somma.
“This could’ve been a real tragedy. There was no lifesaving or navigation equipment and the boat was taking on water,” he said.
The migrants will be returned to Cuba “in a couple of days,” Somma said.
Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz said the cruise ship was traveling from Key West, Florida, to Cozumel, Mexico, with 2,650 passengers onboard.
