Probe Reveals the Causes of Regrettable Maritime Accident in Cuba

Havana, Nov 29 (ACN) An investigation into a regrettable maritime accident in Cuban national waters, which killed seven persons including a young girl on October 28th, revealed that a Cuban border patrol unit made every possible effort to avoid a collision with a speedboat from the United States.

The experts’ analysis plus evidence in the case proved that the accident was not caused by invasive or aggressive actions against the infractor speedboat, said Interior Ministry colonel Victor Alvarez.

In a televised appearance, the officer explained that the accident occurred in the area known as Bahia Honda, western province of Artemisa and it was the result of an operation of smuggling of persons, organized from the US territory of Miami, according to PL news agency.

One of the two men who brought the boat died in the accident and a second one is under arrest in Cuba; the boat had been modified in its structure to provide extra room for a large number of persons.

Originally, the boat had been designed for six persons, said the colonel, and after being adapted for smuggling of persons it lost its characteristics which provided it with appropriate safety, add to this that at the moment of the accident 26 people were on board.

The dark night, the tidal waves plus the reaction of the boatmen after being detected by the Cuban border patrol ship led to the accident. Instead of stopping the boat, the boatmen stepped up and made a fast turn to the right in front of the Cuban patrol boat in an effort to evade identification.
In that minute, there was a motor-like hit perceived by all travelers, according to their testimonies. But despite that, the boatmen again stepped up even when the travelers asked them to slow down, said the officer.

The expert team determined that the infractor boat became incontrollable and at 1.8 miles high it made a fast turn to the left getting in the way of the Cuban border patrol boat.

The proceedings by the crew of the Cuban surface unit aimed at avoiding a collision with the pirate boat. There is no evidence that the border patrol boat had impacted the infractor boat on any other area, or that it had attacked it as it some media have speculated, the officer noted.