RESCUE AT SEA

Posted on 01/29/2016

A Norwegian Cruise Line ship travelling between Grand Cayman Island and Cozumel Mexico rescued Cuban refugees on a man-made raft in the Atlantic Ocean. Two weeks after the incident, a Canadian recalled the dramatic rescue mission of 17 people, one of whom was pregnant.

Melissa Colbourne, from Conception Bay South NL related to the CBC the evening of 14 January when another passenger on the Norwegian cruise ship spotted something floating in the ocean. The captain announced that the ship would be turning around to identify the object and when they got closer it was clear that a group of people were floating on, what Colbourne describes as “two canoes, bamboo, different pieces of wood, rope and it was just put all together." When the ship got closer, the captain turned off the engines and 4,000 passengers watched or heard crew members bring the refugees safely on board. "We could hear them shouting, and they were thanking us and yelling out, 'Thank you,' and they were shouting 'Cuba.' They were waving their arms in the air," said Colbourne. The captain announced that the 15 men and two women onboard had left Cuba on a raft 24 Dec said Colbourne, meaning that they were at sea for three weeks. "You could see these little white packs in the back of the boat. We're assuming it was their food and water, and the word was that they were in relatively good condition," she said. "It'd have to be an awful, terrible situation for you to have to leave your country, flee your country, to get away." The refugees were detained below decks and when the ship landed in Cozumel, an ambulance took the pregnant woman immediately. Immigration officials came later to take away the others.