The United States Coast Guard has rescued three Cuban citizens who had been trapped for 33 days on the desert island of Cayo Anguilla, in the Bahamas, feeding on coconuts.
The two men and the woman who, according to their account, were traveling on a ship that sank five weeks ago, swam to the island where they remained until the Coast Guard patrol, which was making a routine tour of the area, saw improvised flags waving and crying out for help.
The video that recorded the rescue was published this Thursday, two days after it occurred.
Lt. Riley Beecher said, as quoted by
The New York Times,
that his plane was flying at about 500 feet when he noticed the three people.
"When we got closer, just above the flag, two individuals came out waving their hands frantically, trying to indicate that they were in danger," he recalled.
#UPDATE @USCG rescued the 3 Cuban nationals stranded on Anguilla Cay.
A helicopter crew transferred the 2 men & 1 woman to Lower Keys Medical Center with no reported injuries.
More details to follow. # D7 #USCG #Ready #Relevant #Responsive pic.twitter.com/4kX5WJJhs8
- USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) February 9, 2021
After throwing food, water and a radio to establish communication from the air, they proceeded to the rescue by helicopter this Tuesday, as reported by the Coast Guard.
The uninhabited island is part of an atoll in the Bahamas that is close to Cuba.
As it is one of the routes that Cubans who leave their country for the United States cross, it is regularly inspected by the authorities of that country.
"Because our aircrews conducted routine patrols with diligence, we were able to detect people in distress and intervene," said Officer Sean Connett.
The three rescued people were taken to a medical center, where their health was evaluated.
After examinations that determined that they had not suffered injuries, they were taken to a center of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service in Pompano Beach, Florida.
The rescued have not offered public statements and it is uncertain whether they intended to reach the United States or were fishing when they suffered the shipwreck.