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Cuban migrants jump from boat and run to South Florida shore

Posted at 5:38 AM, Oct 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-08 10:25:42-04

Fifteen Cuban migrants were arrested Sunday after a "maritime smuggling event" on Virginia Key, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.

The 15 migrants will be transported to the Dania Beach Border Patrol station for "further processing and removal," the spokesperson said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission initially said 20 migrants were discovered on the boat. The Coast Guard later said there were a total of 27 people on the vessel but were unable to confirm how many were migrants from Cuba.

Two people were initially detained near North Point Park, the FWC said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Miami Fire Rescue responded to the scene. 

Miami Fire Rescue said they gave medical evaluations to 13 people -- 12 men and one woman. 

Law enforcement officials are investigating the incident.

Courtesy of our news partner at NBC Miami