Three Cubans were stranded on an island for 33 days and consumed coconuts, rats, and conch to survive throughout. They were two men and one woman who lost track of time. Three of them were deserted on an island locates between Cuba and Florida.
Three Cubans stranded on an island between Florida and Cuba
As per US Coast Guard officials, the boat that the three people were on, capsized due to rough waters. They swam to the island of Anguilla Cay and stayed there for 33 days until rescued.
The island they swam too is uninhabited, full of palm trees and rocky ground. It is one of the islands in the Bahamas and close to Cuba. The island, monitored by US Coast Guard, keeps a check on refugees trying to enter the country.
A Coast Guard pilot, Lt. Riley Beecher, was on his routine mission when he stopped flags waving. The usual green and brown topography looked unusual, which made him reach out to the place.
Lt. Riley Beecher said that he took a closer look and saw something he never saw before on the island. As he flew closer, he found two people waving frantically and asking him to come down.
At first, Lt. Riley Beecher dropped down a radio and drinking water so that they could communicate. Later, a crew flew down with more emergency supplies and to rescue them.
Rescue mission successful
Lt. Justin Dougherty was one of the pilots who flew down for the rescue after getting the intimation. He reported that the woman had low blood sugar and needed packets to bring her levels up.
Dougherty also informed that three people lost track of time but were relieved to be finally found. The Cubans survived on conch, rats, and primarily on coconut. Dougherty believes that the weather was tolerable, as hotter days could have been worse. Moreover, palm trees played a huge role as well.
The pilot was surprised that the stranded people were coherent even after being isolated for so long. He stressed how important it was for them to stay hydrated.
On Tuesday, three of them flew down on a helicopter. Fortunately, they were admitted to the Lower Keys Medical Center with no major injuries.
US Border Patrol took over their custody from Key West hospital and took them to a Pompano Beach care facility. However, the immigration officials didn’t announce where they would be deported.
Who were the stranded people?
There is no evidence that the stranded people were trying to enter the US or were lost at sea. The Coast Guard officials reported that their mission was to rescue them.
A bigger group of Cubans got stranded for 10 days at Cay Sal Bank in October. The island is close to Anguilla Cay. Lt. Beecher said they do not usually find people stranded on an island for more than a month. He is happy that his team brought relief to the Cubans, and the feeling is fulfilling to him.
