Eight Cuban refugees have been rescued after their makeshift boat capsized off the coast of Cayman Brac. Two other individuals, who were said to be on board the stricken craft, are still missing.
A full-scale search-and-rescue mission was launched Saturday morning after one of the men, who had swam ashore, alerted border control officers.
Initial reports suggested the man’s companions had been lost. But it quickly became clear that they were likely alive and still in the surrounding waters.
Local fishermen and boaters joined the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Control officers, supported by the police helicopter, scouring the seas for the missing migrants.
One man was found clinging to a piece of debris, according to witness reports.
The search effort was triggered when the first survivor was located in Spot Bay, Cayman Brac, shortly after 7am on Saturday, 30 Sept.
“The migrant claimed that he was on a vessel with nine (9) other migrants and all except him perished at seas when they tried to swim to Cayman Brac,” said a Customs and Border Control spokesperson.
In a 6:30pm update, CBC confirmed that seven other migrants had been rescued while the search continued for the remaining missing migrants.
“At approximately 1:15pm three additional male migrants were rescued by a private vessel at sea off Cayman Brac with one of the three migrants being located nearer to Point of Sand in Little Cayman,” said the CBC spokesperson, who added that two hours later an additional two male migrants were spotted by the helicopter crew nine miles off shore.
“The two migrants were rescued by Cayman Islands Fire Service, CBC and the Cayman Islands Coast Guard officers on board the Fire Rescue vessel and were transported to shore where they were assessed by EMS officers,” said the spokesperson. “They are now receiving medical treatment at the Faith Hospital.”
According to CBC, the final male survivor was spotted walking in Stake Bay, Cayman Brac, and taken into custody, bringing the total number of survivors to eight. Two other individuals are still missing.
It is unclear when the boat capsized and the Compass understands that some of the men may have been in the water for two days or longer.
Cayman Brac residents who encounter the missing Cuban are encouraged to contact CBC by calling the toll-free hotline 1 (800) 534-2546.
“In addition to our multi-agency response to this incident, many members of the Cayman Brac public also engaged in the search and rescue effort and we are eternally grateful for their help,” said CBC Director Charles Clifford. “We will no doubt have an opportunity in the future to highlight and properly recognize their invaluable assistance.”
In a statement released by the RCIPS, police publicly thanked Cayman Brac residents Evol Miller and Leanna Jackson, who both took to jet-skis and pulled three of the refugees from the waters.
Search efforts stood down
The approach of nightfall has forced officers to suspend the search until tomorrow morning, said police in their statement.
“At this time, our search has been stood down due to the lack of light,” said police in their statement. “We will resume at 5AM tomorrow to continue our efforts to locate and rescue 2 more persons who need assistance.”
The arrival of Cubans in Cayman during the cross-Caribbean journey to Latin America was covered by the Compass in our Cayman Cuban Connection series, during which we highlighted the poverty-stricken oppressive conditions which force them to venture out to the high seas in search of a better life.
*There was initial, confusion surrounding the number of refugees who were aboard the striken vessel, leading to different numbers being reported. The Compass can now confirm that 10 refugees were aboard the sunken boat.
Related Videos
