Coast Guard Rescues 36 Cubans Abandoned on Desolate Island
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MIAMI — The Coast Guard rescued 36 Cubans on a desolate little island in the Bahamas after they were abandoned by immigrant smugglers on Christmas Eve, officials said Thursday.
The 25 men, nine women and two girls were left on Elbow Cay, which is uninhabited and has no food or water, Coast Guard spokesman Luis Diaz said.
They were spotted waving for help by a Coast Guard jet as it assisted a cutter pursuing a suspicious boat. The boat escaped into Cuban waters.
The Coast Guard picked up the Cubans on Wednesday and gave them food and water. They were reported in good health.
“Abandoning these migrants with little food or water and leaving them is a grossly inhumane act,” Coast Guard Lt. Tony Russell said.
The Cubans were turned over to Bahamian custody.
Calls to the Bahamian consulate in Miami and its embassy in Washington went unanswered Thursday.
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