a score of cuban migrants She was listed as missing south of the Florida Keys after her boat sank on Wednesday, the Border Patrol revealed.
Four of those on the boat managed to swim to dry land, Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar said. The officer did not reveal how many men, women or children, if any, were on the flimsy boat, but he did say they were looking for around 20. However, a note from Univision referred 27 people were on the boat.
The incident occurred at the same time that the dangerous effects of Hurricane Ian were being felt in the area. Ian, a Category 4, entered South Florida from the western zone in the city of Ft. Meyers late Wednesday afternoon.
Slosar, who heads the Miami Sector of the Border Patrol, tweeted that the four migrants who washed ashore had been found on Stock Island, east of Key West. The officer directly attributed the cause of the disaster to the hurricane. “Inclement weather,” he noted.
In mid-afternoon, the Coast Guard reported, without disclosing nationalities, that its air crews had rescued three other migrants from the water about two miles south of Cayo Boca Chica, in Key West, in a separate incident.
#BREAKING: US Border Patrol agents along with support from @mcsonews responded to a migrant landing in Stock Island #Florida. 4 Cuban migrants swam to shore after their vessel sank due to inclement weather. @USCGSoutheast initiated a #HE operation to search for 23 individuals. pic.twitter.com/yUurGfSOSe
— Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar (@USBPChiefMIP) September 28, 2022
Those three migrants were taken to a local hospital for symptoms of exhaustion and dehydration, authorities said, joining four previous migrants tested there after they swam to dry land.
Aircrews continued to search by helicopter for the remaining missing migrants.
Authorities have repeatedly warned migrants not to go to sea, but especially to desist during hurricane conditions, which make an already treacherous journey even more dangerous.
On Tuesday, as weather conditions worsened, a group of seven Cuban immigrants washed ashore in Pompano Beach, north of Miami, in eastern Florida.
