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Search is underway for 20 missing Cuban migrants who went missing after their ship sank off the coast of Florida just before Hurricane Ian: seven have been rescued, including four who swam to shore
- Seven Cuban migrants were rescued on Wednesday by the US Border Patrol and the US Coast Guard after their boat sank off the coast of Florida.
- Four of the migrants were able to swim to Stock Island, while three others were two miles south of Boca Chica. were saved
- Efforts continued late Wednesday afternoon as a US Coast Guard air unit searched the area for possible survivors
- The accident happened hours before Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm with winds of 150 mph.
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At least seven Cuban migrants have been rescued and 20 more are missing after their ship sank off the coast of Florida before Hurricane Ian made landfall, according to US Border Patrol.
Four people braved the harsh sea conditions and swam to Stock Island on Wednesday, Miami Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar said on Twitter.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s 7th District said a Coast Guard crew rescued three people found in the water about two miles south of Boca Chica.
The migrants were rushed to a local hospital and treated for exhaustion and dehydration.
The US Coast Guard and US Border Patrol rescued seven migrants on Wednesday after their boat sank off the coast of Florida. Four individuals were able to swim to the coast of Stock Island and three people were in the water two miles south of Boca Chica. Attempts were still being made to find the 20 other migrants who are missing
Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm with winds of 250 mph
The US Coast Guard said an air unit searched the area for possible survivors.
On Tuesday, seven Cuban nationals were detained by US border police after landing on a makeshift single-motor wooden raft on the shores of Pompano Beach.
Slosar urged migrants to consider the dangers associated with navigating the Florida Straits as Hurricane Ian raged toward Florida.
“Don’t want to risk your life by taking this voyage at sea,” he tweeted. “Storms, together with royal tides, can create treacherous sea conditions, even after a storm has passed.”
The rain obscured Delray Beach on Wednesday morning as bands from Hurricane Ian expanded across the state. Category 4 storm made landfall in southwest Florida with winds of 255 mph
Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 storm.
The center of the storm struck near Cayo Costa, a protected barrier island just west of densely populated Fort Myers. The massive storm was expected to cause flooding across much of Florida as it creeps northeast across the peninsula.
Hurricane Ian slammed into the coast with winds of 150 mph, pushing a wall of storm surge that had accumulated on its slow march across the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc over a Naval Air Station in Key West. Navy personnel and families were evacuated Tuesday night
A portable toilet was attached to a concrete street pole in Miami on Tuesday
Children play with waves on the shore in the wake of Hurricane Ian in Havana, Cuba, on Wednesday. The storm killed two people in the country
About 2.5 million people had to evacuate southwestern Florida before the storm hit. Although it was expected to weaken as it marched inland at about 9 mph, Ian’s hurricane-force winds were likely to be felt as far as central Florida.
“This is going to be a nasty day, two days,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Deaths from the hurricane had already been reported in Cuba, where two people were killed when Ian swept into the island on Tuesday as a major hurricane, knocking down the country’s electrical grid.