A cruise ship rescued 41 Cuban migrants from a small, overcrowded boat in the Florida Straits, the 145-kilometer span of water between Cuban and the southern tip of Florida, a U.S. Coast Guard official said Wednesday. No injuries were reported, and the migrants were transferred to a nearby U.S. Coast Guard ship Tuesday. "This could have been a real tragedy. There was no lifesaving or navigation equipment, and the boat was taking on water," said spokesman Gabe Somma. The migrants will be returned to Cuba "in a couple of days," he said. Cruise-ship operator Carnival said the ship was traveling from Key West, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico with 2,650 passengers.
