Monday, July 10, 2006

MIAMI, USA (AFP): An illegal Cuban migrant woman died in a failed bid to reach Florida shores Saturday after US Coast Guards intercepted a small boat overloaded with 31 bruised and exhausted people, the US Coast Guards said.

They intercepted the 36-foot Varerra vessel four miles (6.5 kilometers) off Boca Chica, Florida as it raced toward shore at high speeds without light and ignoring requests to halt in the dawn hours Saturday.

It was intercepted after coast guards opened two rounds of fire at one of the boat's three outboard engines.

Coast guards immediately identified three people in immediate need of medical attention after finally boarding the craft. One woman lost consciousness while being placed in hospital and pronounced dead about an hour after US officials intercepted the boat.

"This was a horrific voyage for these migrants and has resulted in a tragedy," said Captain Phil Heyl of the Key West, Florida coast guard section. "The family and friends of the dead woman have our deepest sympathy.

US authorities believe they also identified three smugglers among the migrants.

The boats operator tried more than five times to ram the US interceptor vessel during the chase, the coast guard service said. It stressed that no one was injured as a result of the gun fire.

"These ruthless smugglers recklessly placed these people in harm's way by operating at high rates of speed in seas of up to four feet (1.2 meters), by operating without navigational lights, by ignoring repeated orders to stop and by grossly overloading the vessel," said Heyl.

"There was no way for these people to brace themselves against the impact of the boat slamming into the rough seas."

According to Coast Guard estimates, more than 200 migrants have died while trying to reach the United States by sea in the past five years.

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