Lanchita de Regla caught fire in the bay of Havana and several people who were being transported had to jump into the water, as can be seen in a video broadcast this Wednesday afternoon on social networks by the Cuban youtuber based in Panama Alain PaparazziTV.
In the video to which he had access influencerthe man who recorded the tense moment is heard describing that the people who were traveling on the boat had to jump into the sea with life jackets and were waiting to be rescued.
It can also be seen how the fire was put out from a boat with two jets of water. The video also captures a coast guard ship slowly approaching the scene.
The boats known as the Lanchita de Regla are used to connect residents and visitors of Regla and Casablanca through the Havana harbor from the historic center of the capital.
Several of these boats were the scene of migratory incidents prior to the rafters’ crisis of 1994. Controls at embarkation and disembarkation points were tightened from that moment on and it was prohibited for passengers to transport scissors, sharp objects, bottles with liquid and other products.
In 2003, a group of Cubans tried to flee the country on one of these boats, which ran out of fuel after a short sailing trip. Ten people were arrested and prosecuted. Three were shot nine days after the event and the remaining detainees received between 2 and 30 years in prison.
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