MIAMI – The U.S. Coast Guard is continuing its search for survivors after five Cuban migrants were found dead off the Florida Keys.
Coast Guard officials said three men found on an island in the vicinity of Big Pine Key told authorities that they left Cuba on Sept. 20 with 23 people aboard a rustic vessel, which capsized the next day.
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The bodies of two men and a woman were found Saturday, 23 miles southeast of Islamorada, and the body of a man was found near Ramrod Key.
A woman's body was found Monday by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials near Big Munson Island.
"I was saddened to learn the news of a group of Cubans who lost their lives while trying to reach our shores. It has been a rough few days for our South Florida community," U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) said. "Regrettably, President Obama's new policy toward the Castro dictatorship has created much anxiety and desperation on the island, leading many to dangerously risk their lives in an effort to escape.
Since the "normalization" policy was announced, nearly 100,000 Cubans have arrived in the United States, and still the Administration refuses to take responsibility or offer solutions for the mass exodus it has helped cause."
Monroe County Sheriff's Office Detective Manny Cuervo said there is no foul play suspected in any of the deaths.
Multiple agencies are assisting in the search for the migrants, including the FWC and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
The Coast Guard has searched more than 9,200 square miles since Saturday, an area roughly the size of New Hampshire.