Topline
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended a search for 10 missing Cuban migrants whose boat capsized off the coast of Key West, Florida, last week, the third deadly incident in a string of accidents believed to involve migration by sea this month.
Coast Guard Cutter Resolute small boat crew rescues eight people from the water approximately 16 ... [+]
Key Facts
The Coast Guard had been searching for the missing people since Thursday, when eight survivors and the bodies of two victims were spotted in water about 16 miles south of Key West during routine patrols.
The discovery set off a four-day search for 10 missing people who had also been on board.
The eight survivors told the Coast Guard their boat capsized Wednesday evening on their third day at sea after leaving Mariel, a port city west of Havana, on Sunday.
According to the Coast Guard, rescuers combed through roughly 8,864 square miles of ocean, roughly the size of New Hampshire, before calling off the search.
Crucial Quote
"The decision to suspend a search is always difficult and is made after careful consideration of all the facts,” Coast Guard Capt. Adam Chamie, who commands the Key West sector, said in a statement Sunday. “Our deepest condolences go out to the families and loved ones impacted by this tragedy.”
Key Background
Key West is the southernmost point of the continental U.S., and is located just 106 miles from Havana. The Mariel port is a famous departure point for Cuban migrants to the U.S. Between April and October 1980, during a brief lift of travel restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba, more than 125,000 Cubans are believed to have left Mariel for Florida. Thursday’s boat accident is at least the third deadly boat accident involving migrants this month. On May 2, three people were killed and dozens transported to hospitals after a boat carrying Mexican migrants capsized off the coast of San Diego, California. One person died after a boat suspected to be smuggling migrants overturned off the coast of nearby La Jolla just 10 days later.
