Seven Cuban migrants, all with gunshot wounds, were interdicted at sea and taken to South Florida hospitals.
According to the Keynoter, the wounded Cubans were found Saturday afternoon.
The U.S. Coast Guard District 7 public affairs office told the newspaper the wounded were on a makeshift raft with another 19 migrants without injuries.
The ones not needing medical attention will likely be repatriated. The injured were taken to Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island. Six were airlifted out to Miami trauma centers.
In a statement, the U.S. Coast Guard warned against making such an "extremely dangerous" journey that "could lead to loss of life."
"U.S. Coast Guard works hard to ensure the safety of migrants on our cutters after an interdiction and strongly discourages attempts to illegally enter the country by taking to the sea,” the statement said.
Earlier this year, authorities said Cuban migrants desperate to reach U.S. shore are increasingly violent and noncompliant with Coast Guard crews who detain them at sea, citing reports of attempted poisoning and self-inflicted wounds as rumors swirl that the ``wet-foot, dry-foot'' policy will soon be abandoned.
Story courtesy of our news partner at NBC6.com
