RCIPS police helicopter assists with rescue of 14 Cuba migrants at sea Loop Cayman Islands

Black Immigrant Daily News

Fourteen migrants from Cuba were rescued at sea by personnel from the Cayman Islands Coast Guard Operations & Rescue Coordination Centre (ORCC), and the Royal Cayman Island Police Service Air Operations Unit Thursday morning.

The authorities were alerted to the distressed migrants by three “irregular migrants” who reached the shores of Cayman Brac and were met by the police and Cayman Islands Customs and Border Control officers.

The migrants informed the officers that they had left Cuba several days before and had passed another vessel about 55 nautical miles northeast of Cayman Brac some 18 hours earlier, according to a statement from the RCIPS.

The vessel had broken down and was adrift with a large number of occupants.

A search and rescue operation was commenced.

The helicopter crew aboard X-Ray 2 arrived off Cayman Brac shortly after 10am and commenced a search towards the direction of Cuba aided by drift analysis from the US Coast Guard.

Shortly before 10:30am, the X-Ray 2 crew spotted the Cuban vessel 18 nautical miles east of Cayman Brac, and on investigation saw that there were signs of distress amongst some of the boat occupants and that others were signalling for help.

The authorities were aided by a private yacht, which was in the vicinity and ultimately assisted with transport back to Cayman Brac.

“From the vessel being sighted by the X-Ray 2 crew to assistance coming alongside was a period of two hours,” according to the statement from the RCIPS. “Due to the time delay anticipated for the rescue, the crew of X-Ray 2 lowered two gallons of fresh water to the vessel, and a Spanish-speaking crew member, used the helicopter PA system to communicate with the boat occupants to inform and reassure them of the rescue efforts.”

Fourteen occupants were accounted for on the boat, 13 males and 1 female. Three of them were assessed to be in need of critical medical attention. All occupants were conveyed to Cayman Brac where they received medical attention and were processed.

It transpired that the Cuban vessel had suffered engine failure and had been adrift for seven days, and drinking water on the boat had been exhausted the day before.

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