{"id":145659,"date":"2026-02-26T03:53:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T03:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/145659\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T03:53:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T03:53:32","slug":"4-people-on-florida-boat-killed-by-cuban-forces-after-entering-its-waters-officials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/145659\/","title":{"rendered":"4 people on Florida boat killed by Cuban forces after entering its waters: officials"},"content":{"rendered":"

Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed the United States would get answers about a Cuba shootout that killed\u00a0four people and injured six others aboard a speedboat from Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to find out exactly what happened and then we will respond accordingly,\u201d Rubio said Wednesday while traveling\u00a0to Saint Kitts and Nevis.<\/p>\n

He conceded that \u201cit is highly unusual to see shootouts in\u00a0the open sea like that. That\u2019s not something that happens every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CubanCuban coast guard ships docked in Havana seen on Feb. 25, 2026. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Cuba\u2019s Ministry of the Interior announced the deadly altercation in a post on social media, declaring it was protecting \u201cits territorial waters\u201d when its border troops killed at least four and wounded six who were aboard a Florida-registered boat that had entered Cuban waters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Rubio downplayed Cuba\u2019s version of events, saying the U.S. would find its \u201cown information on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not gonna base our conclusions on what they told us,\u201d he said, adding:\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll respond appropriately based on what our information tells us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vice President JD Vance also said the Trump administration is working to learn more.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, it\u2019s not as bad as we fear it could be, but I can\u2019t say more because I just don\u2019t know more,\u201d Vance told reporters during an event at the White House.<\/p>\n

\"MarcoSecretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would get answers on the incident off the coast of Cuba and respond \u201cappropriately\u201d to it. POOL\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Cuba\u2019s government said that, on Wednesday morning, the crew on the speedboat \u201copened fire on the Cuban personnel, resulting in the injury of the commander of the Cuban vessel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuban border guards returned fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six were injured. The injured individuals were evacuated and received medical assistance,\u201d the Interior Ministry said.<\/p>\n

Note from the Ministry of the Interior:<\/p>\n

On the morning of February 25, 2026, a violating speedboat was detected within Cuban territorial waters. The vessel, registered in Florida, United States, with registration number FL7726SH, approached up to 1 nautical mile northeast of the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/AEmwtAZ4lO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Cuban Embassy in US (@EmbaCubaUS) February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear who owned the boat or if Americans were on board.\u00a0\u00a0An official told\u00a0The New York Times<\/a>\u00a0the firefight involved a US civilian boat working to get relatives out of Cuba, adding that the vessel was not a US Naval or Coast Guard boat.<\/p>\n

Rubio confirmed the boat was not part of a US government operation.<\/p>\n

The boat, which has the registration number FL7726SH, is a 24-foot power boat that was manufactured in 1981, according to maritime database records.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Cuba is investigating.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced he would investigate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to work with our federal, state, and law enforcement partners to begin an investigation,\u201d he said in a statement on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florida Congressman Carlos Gimenez, who represents Miami-Dade, called the incident a \u201cmassacre\u201d and\u00a0demanded\u00a0the abolishment of\u00a0Miguel D\u00edaz-Canel\u2019s presidency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis regime must be relegated to the dust bin of history!,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0incident\u00a0took place one\u00a0nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, in Cayo Falcones, according to the Cuban government.<\/p>\n

The El Pino channel sits directly south\u00a0of Florida, off the north side of Cuba. It is frequently used for maritime traffic and\u00a0is known to\u00a0be patrolled by the Cuban government.<\/p>\n

Cuba is undergoing an economic crisis with rising prices in food and gas, partially because President Trump\u2019s administration\u00a0has stopped oil shipments to the island, especially from Venezuela.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rubio acknowledged the humanitarian crisis but blamed the island\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people of Cuba are suffering today. They\u2019ve been suffering for a long time,\u201d he said, \u201cand it is the authorities there and that government who are responsible for that. They\u2019re the ones that have made decisions that have left Cuba vulnerable to the situation they\u2019re now in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tensions are also high between Havana and Washington after the administration\u2019s aggressive policy of attacking vessels in the Caribbean it claims are trafficking drugs. The U.S. has carried\u00a0out at least 44 strikes to date.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t