More than 20 survived 2 crossings from Cuba. But 1 man was lost

More than 20 survived 2 crossings from Cuba. But 1 man was lost
BY KEVIN WADLOW
kwadlow@keynoter.com

Two dozen Cuban migrants reached the Florida Keys in two separate
arrivals this week, but one man reportedly was lost at sea.

A U.S. Coast Guard search ended Tuesday night for a man who disappeared
from a "chug" off the Lower Keys. Eleven Cuban men reached reached shore
on Big Pine Key after leaving Cuba on Thursday. The survivors told
officials that "one man was separated from the group after entering the
water Saturday."

The Coast Guard cutter Kathleen Moore, based at the Key West station,
and a Coast Guard aircraft from Miami were searching for the missing
man, Lt. Katherine Webb said Tuesday.

In late September, 20 Cuban migrants died or disappeared after a
disastrous attempt to cross the Florida Straits. Three men survived
after their makeshift boat sank. Five bodies were recovered off the
Florida Keys but the remaining 15 people aboard vanished and are
presumed dead.

On Monday, a battered sailboat with 13 people aboard came ashore at Key
Colony Beach. The migrants were taken for processing by U.S. Customs and
Border Protection. No injuries or fatalities were reported from that voyage.

So far in October, the Coast Guard has logged 106 Cubans crossing to
Florida or being stopped on the way.

In the 12 preceding months, the agency counted 7,411 Cubans, up 65
percent from the 4,473 people found in the previous year, Petty Officer
Eric Woodall said Tuesday.

Kevin Wadlow: 305-440-3206

Source: More than 20 survived 2 crossings from Cuba. But 1 man was lost
| Miami Herald -
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article109158162.html