On Tuesday, the US Coast Guard rescued three people stranded on an uninhabited island in the Bahamas archipelago, northern Cuba and east Florida. The three Cubans were spotted on Monday during a reconnaissance plane tour: they are fine, they have stayed on the island for 33 days and built a flag with salvaged material in the hope that someone will notice them.
On Monday, the commander of the US Coast Guard, Riley Beecher, was making one of his regular reconnaissance trips off Florida. Such as Tell The The New York TimesHe has flown over these areas several times and also knows the uninhabited island of Anguilla Cay, which is located alongside other atolls and islets about fifty kilometers north of Cuba.
But this time, while flying at an altitude of about 150 meters, he noticed something unusual that struck him: some kind of flag.
“When we got close, two people jumped right next to the flag and headed toward us, frantically waving their arms, and waving at us,” said Beecher. Even at that distance, Beecher was able to see that they were “really in pain”.
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Thus the flight crew cut down on food, water and radio, and through him began communicating with the people on the island. They said they were from Cuba and that they were with a woman who needed medical treatment. They said that before the ship sank, they were on a boat when a storm caught them by surprise: After the ship sank, they swam to the island and then got stuck there for 33 days. It is not currently known whether the three Cubans were attempting to reach the United States illegally or whether they went missing while on the boat.
During 33 days stranded on the island, they survived eating coconuts, oysters, and mice.
#Breaking news USCG Helps 3 reportedly stranded in Anguilla Cay, Bahamas for 33 days. The Miami Air Station HC-144 Ocean Sentry crew dropped a radio, food and water. More to track.# D7 #Ready #relevant # Response # Search and rescue #USCG pic.twitter.com/D263ptTarz
– USCGSoutheast (USCGSoutheast) February 9, 2021
Shortly after viewing, another Coast Guard aircraft also arrived. The commander, Justin Dougherty, threw a parcel containing water bottles, life jackets, sugar bags, and “whatever other food was with us.” The crew advised the three not to eat too quickly and reassured them that a boat or helicopter would soon arrive to rescue them.
Due to the weather conditions, only the three people were rescued by the coast guard Tuesday Then they were transferred to the Lower Keys Medical Center on Key West Island, Florida. Aside from the severe drought, none of them were affected. After medical checks, the three entered the custody of the Border Patrol, the police guarding the US border, who transferred them to the federal agency responsible for border security and immigration control (ICE).
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