Cruise ship rescues 22 Cubans floating at sea

The cruise ship Symphony of the Seas Royal Caribbean has reportedly rescued nearly two dozen people floating on a raft between Key West and Cuba, to cheers from passengers, according to media reports.

The rescue of the 22 people – from Local broadcaster Fox10 Phoenix identified as Cubans – occurred on Thursday (15th) while the ship was en route to a stopover in the Bahamas.

“The ship’s captain came on the PA system and announced that a small ship had been sighted and appeared to be making a distress call,” Rich King, an Arizona traveler on board the ship, told the broadcaster.

King said the captain then said he had received permission from the US Coast Guard to approach the ship and recover the people who were on the ship.

“They got waterlogged. They said their ship’s engine had failed. They drifted at sea for six days and finally got help from us,” he added.

After spending an hour aboard the Symphony of the Seas, the Coast Guard arrived to collect all of the fugitives, King said.