The Cuban government said it exchanged gunfire with a Florida-based speedboat that had entered its territorial waters Wednesday, killing at least four people and wounding six others.<\/p>\n
The vessel approached within one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel north of Corralillo, a town in the central Cuban province of Villa Clara, according to a statement on the Facebook page of Cuba\u2019s Ministry of the Interior.<\/p>\n
Cuban border-guard troops on a government boat approached the speedboat seeking identification when the people aboard the boat opened fire on the Cuban personnel, wounding the Cuban vessel\u2019s commander, the statement said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a result of the confrontation, at the time of this report, four foreign attackers were killed and six were wounded,\u201d the government said.<\/p>\n
The wounded were evacuated and received medical attention, the government said. The government\u2019s statement included what it said was the boat\u2019s Florida registration number.<\/p>\n
A U.S. official said the firefight involved a U.S. civilian boat that was part of a flotilla to get relatives out of Cuba, adding that the vessel was not a U.S. Navy or Coast Guard boat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar for the Cuban State in order to protect its sovereignty and stability in the region,\u201d the Cuban government statement said.<\/p>\n
The Cuban government is in the throes of a critical energy crisis, largely because of Trump administration moves to block foreign oil shipments.<\/p>\n
The shooting involving the boat took place a day after the 30th anniversary of the Brothers to the Rescue shoot-down, when Cuban military planes shot down two planes from a South Florida humanitarian organization that was distributing flyers in Cuba. Four people were killed.<\/p>\n