A Carnival cruise ship deviates from its route to rescue 27 Cuban rafters
HAVANA, Apr 23 A group of 27 Cuban rafters were rescued this Sunday by the Carnival ship Paradise that was heading to Honduras.The ship, which was covering the route from Tampa (Florida) to Roatán, turned when it detected the migrants asking for help from a boat adrift 20 miles west of the Island, the Fox News portal published.
The same media indicated that the people were taken on board, “they received medical attention and were provided with food.” The wooden raft was in “poor condition” and “did not carry supplies” for all the migrants, the Cruicehive site highlighted.
After the rescue, the crew of the cruise ship notified both the United States Coast Guard and officials in Roatán, but it has not yet been known whether the rafters will be handed over to Honduran or American authorities.
According to the logbook of the Paradise, which set sail from Florida last Saturday, the ship will make a five-night voyage through the Caribbean.
This Monday, the cruise crew must disembark in Roatán and after a brief stay, continue their route, which marks a visit to Cozumel (Mexico) on Tuesday. The return to Tampa is scheduled for April 25.
The Paradise ship records three rescues of this type in its recent history. The most recent are from 2022. In August of that year, she helped six rafters about to shipwreck. While in July she boarded 20 migrants who were in a wooden boat propelled by oars.
Carnival’s ‘Paradise’ cruise ship has made four rescues in its short history, three of them of Cuban rafters / Carnival Paradise Cruise Ship
The rescue of these rafters occurred a few days after the United States Border Patrol reported the disembarkation in Florida of 47 Cuban rafters between April 4 and 15.
Last Monday, the Coast Guard intercepted 19 migrants from the Island and handed them over for deportation proceedings. The US authorities have reiterated to the rafters that they are taken into custody, that they will be returned to their country of origin.
Likewise, it is highlighted that “they will not be able to enter the United States for a period of five years, in addition to not being eligible to request asylum.”
