5 Dead, 2 Missing After Trying To Reach U.S. By Boat
3 Bodies Found On Broward County Beach
POSTED: 6:43 pm EST November 7, 2005
UPDATED: 2:26 am EST November 8, 2005
3 Bodies Found On Broward County Beach
POSTED: 6:43 pm EST November 7, 2005
UPDATED: 2:26 am EST November 8, 2005
MIAMI -- Five people are dead and two are missing after three separate incidents involving boats off the Florida coast this weekend.
Thirty-seven people went into the straits of Florida after the boat carrying them from Cuba capsized as Coast Guard video cameras rolled this weekend. In an all-too-familiar scene, too many people were crowded into a 28-foot boat as it crossed choppy waters 65 miles south of Key West.
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 35 people, but two women died, NBC 6's Hank Tester reported.
On Saturday, in an unrelated incident, a fisherman found three bodies on a Broward County beach.
"We have a total of three deceased black females, possibly three Haitian females, that washed up between 6 and 8 a.m.," Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Liz Cazadilla-Fiallo said.
Five Haitians were captured, while others ran away. Officials suspect they were involved in a human smuggling operation, Tester reported.
No one has come forward to claim the three women whose bodies were found in Broward County, who will likely have funerals on U.S. soil.
"Family members are afraid to come forward. We need to be able to identify these women and give them a dignified burial," governmental consultant Lucy Tondreau said.
Two other Cuban refugees are missing and presumed dead, Tester reported. On Friday, 10 of their companions made it to the Dry Tortugas.
"I think that everybody in Washington is sitting and waiting for more people to die," said Ramon Saul Sanchez, of the Democracia Movement.
Some Cuban exiles want the "wet-foot, dry-foot" law abolished. Haitians say they just want equal treatment.
In Hialeah, relatives of those onboard Saturday's capsized boat, who will likely be returned to Cuba, gathered.
One of these relatives said the group was coming to the U.S. not as part of a smuggling operation but as a family project, Tester reported. He said they bought the boat to bring relatives to the U.S.
"With this administration, the Bush administration, the immigration rules have been tougher on Haitians than they have ever been," Tondreau said.
There has been a drop in U.S. Coast Guard interceptions of Haitian refugees. During the last fiscal year there were 3,229; during this fiscal year, the number dropped to 1,850.
The Coast Guard said 35 Cuban refugees have died in the last four months in attempts to reach the U.S.
In 2004, 1,499 Cuban refugees were intercepted at sea. In fiscal 2005, 2,368 were intercepted, Tester reported.
The number of Cuban refugees who successfully land on U.S. soil is on the upswing. In 2004, 955 Cubans made it to South Florida. During this fiscal year, 2,530 made it to the U.S.
http://www.nbc6.net/news/5273351/detail.html
Thirty-seven people went into the straits of Florida after the boat carrying them from Cuba capsized as Coast Guard video cameras rolled this weekend. In an all-too-familiar scene, too many people were crowded into a 28-foot boat as it crossed choppy waters 65 miles south of Key West.
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 35 people, but two women died, NBC 6's Hank Tester reported.
On Saturday, in an unrelated incident, a fisherman found three bodies on a Broward County beach.
"We have a total of three deceased black females, possibly three Haitian females, that washed up between 6 and 8 a.m.," Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Liz Cazadilla-Fiallo said.
Five Haitians were captured, while others ran away. Officials suspect they were involved in a human smuggling operation, Tester reported.
No one has come forward to claim the three women whose bodies were found in Broward County, who will likely have funerals on U.S. soil.
"Family members are afraid to come forward. We need to be able to identify these women and give them a dignified burial," governmental consultant Lucy Tondreau said.
Two other Cuban refugees are missing and presumed dead, Tester reported. On Friday, 10 of their companions made it to the Dry Tortugas.
"I think that everybody in Washington is sitting and waiting for more people to die," said Ramon Saul Sanchez, of the Democracia Movement.
Some Cuban exiles want the "wet-foot, dry-foot" law abolished. Haitians say they just want equal treatment.
In Hialeah, relatives of those onboard Saturday's capsized boat, who will likely be returned to Cuba, gathered.
One of these relatives said the group was coming to the U.S. not as part of a smuggling operation but as a family project, Tester reported. He said they bought the boat to bring relatives to the U.S.
"With this administration, the Bush administration, the immigration rules have been tougher on Haitians than they have ever been," Tondreau said.
There has been a drop in U.S. Coast Guard interceptions of Haitian refugees. During the last fiscal year there were 3,229; during this fiscal year, the number dropped to 1,850.
The Coast Guard said 35 Cuban refugees have died in the last four months in attempts to reach the U.S.
In 2004, 1,499 Cuban refugees were intercepted at sea. In fiscal 2005, 2,368 were intercepted, Tester reported.
The number of Cuban refugees who successfully land on U.S. soil is on the upswing. In 2004, 955 Cubans made it to South Florida. During this fiscal year, 2,530 made it to the U.S.
http://www.nbc6.net/news/5273351/detail.html
No comments:
Post a Comment