Cuban authorities say a Florida-registered vessel entered territorial waters and opened fire on border guards before a deadly confrontation left four dead and six injured.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom,
Cuban officials said Wednesday that four people were killed and six others injured after a U.S.-registered speedboat entered Cuban waters and exchanged gunfire with the country’s border patrol forces.
In a statement, Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior said the incident occurred Wednesday morning approximately one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino canal in Cayo Falcones. According to the ministry, a speedboat registered in Florida entered Cuban territorial waters and opened fire on border patrol troops.
A Cuban border patrol vessel approached the boat for identification, the ministry said, at which point individuals aboard the speedboat began shooting. Cuban authorities responded, resulting in what the ministry described as a confrontation that left four people on the boat dead and six others wounded.
The injured individuals were evacuated and “received medical assistance,” according to the translated statement. Officials did not release the identities or nationalities of those killed or injured. An investigation into the incident is underway, the ministry said.
Cuba’s Interior Ministry added that it “ratifies its willingness to protect territorial waters, based on the fact that national defense is a fundamental pillar” of the state, emphasizing the country’s intent to safeguard its sovereignty and regional stability.
In response, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said he directed state officials to initiate an investigation into the incident.
“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” Uthmeier wrote in a statement on X.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana. Cuba is currently facing an energy crisis after the Trump administration moved to block oil shipments from Venezuela to the island nation. Earlier this year, American military forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and transferred him to the United States to face drug-related charges on Jan. 3, removing a longtime Cuban ally from power.
Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Saint Kitts and Nevis this week, where he addressed a regional Caribbean group comprising 15 member states and associated members. According to a transcript of his remarks, Rubio said the Trump administration is “giving priority to the Western Hemisphere” after the region had “largely being ignored for a very long time.”
“We are interested in rebuilding and constructing a new dynamic in this Western Hemisphere in which we partner with all of you on the issues we share in common,” Rubio said.
Rubio also emphasized the need for greater cooperation between the United States and Caribbean nations to combat international criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, noting that such groups are heavily armed.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Department of State had not issued a public statement regarding the speedboat incident.