Cuban officials say a U.S.-registered speedboat has entered territorial waters, sparking an armed confrontation with Cuban border guards that left four crew members dead.
Cuba’s Interior Ministry posted a statement on Facebook about the clashes.
U.S. officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A Cuban border guard commander was injured, as were six crew members of the U.S.-flagged vessel, the statement said.
The statement noted that people aboard the U.S.-flagged vessel began the exchange of gunfire.
“As a surface unit of the Border Guard of the Interior Ministry approached the vessel for identification with five members on board, the crew of the offending speedboat opened fire on the Cuban personnel, injuring the Cuban vessel’s captain,” the statement said.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, Republican, Florida. He 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,” Jimenez said in a statement.
