Sunday, September 23, 2007

Cruise Ship RescuesTwo Cubans

The Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas rescued two Cubans while the ship was sailing from Haiti to Miami. The two men rescued were lost at sea on a small raft and began to shout for help once they saw the nearby lit cruise ship. A tourist aboard, who was able to hear their pleas for help in Spanish, notified the crew at about 2:30 a.m., said Michael Sheering of Royal Caribbean. The Captain immediately issued a man over board alert and stopped the ship.
Liberty of the Seas
''We could see white flares thrown into the water and the rescue boat disappearing into the darkness,'' said Joseph Corrigan, a tourist from Georgia. ''It returned with two people. Every one cheered.'' Before reaching Miami, Royal Caribbean transferred the Cubans to a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter. A Coast Guard official said the Cubans are in the process of being repatriated. Neither the Coast Guard or the cruise line spokesman had information about exactly where the ship was when the rescue happened. ''That man did the right thing,'' said Corrigan refering to the tourist from Mexico, who heard the migrant's pleas. ''He helped save lives today.''

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