Cuba’s Interior Ministry announced Wednesday morning that four people aboard a speedboat with Florida license plates were killed by Cuban troops.
Six other people on board were injured and are receiving medical treatment.
Cuban border guards approached the boat to check it after it entered Cuban territorial waters at Falcon’s Cay in Villa Clara state, the ministry said. According to the statement, Cuban troops were then fired upon by someone from the boat, injuring the Cuban boat’s captain. Then the Border Patrol fired back.
The nationality of the person on the high-speed boat is unknown. Falcon’s Cay is only about 100 miles from Florida.
U.S. Republican Congressman Carlos A. Jimenez said the incident raised concerns about the use of deadly force against the crew of a U.S.-registered vessel and called for an investigation into the incident.
“U.S. authorities must determine whether any of the victims were U.S. citizens or legal residents and establish exactly what happened,” he said in a statement posted to X. “The Cuban regime must be consigned to the dustbin of history for its countless crimes against humanity.”
CNN has reached out to the US State Department for comment.
Cuba’s Interior Ministry said authorities were investigating the incident.
