BAL HARBOUR, FLA. (WSVN) - Eight Cuban migrants came ashore overnight, after spending 11 days at sea, said police.
According to officials, they responded to 96th Street and Collins Avenue around 3:30 a.m., Tuesday, after getting a 911 call from 2 people on the beach.
Police said the group of men first set sail back on April 30, but ended up in an island they believe to be the Bahamas, after encountering a storm. The men then set sail once more, until they made it to South Florida.
The men told police they got by on the island by eating fish and lobster. “Really bad weather. It took us 10 days when it should have taken four or five but we survived, we saved our water and we were able to make it,” said one of the migrants.
The group’s homemade 25-foot vessel washed ashore in front of the St. Regis Resort, where they were provided with water and towels. The boat has since been towed from the beach.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue checked out the migrants, who are said to be in good shape. Officials said the men are between 30 and 40-years-old.
The men were taken to the Dania Beach Border Patrol Station, where they will be processed and interviewed.
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