Nearly 100 people, mostly from Haiti, who were rescued from an overcrowded boat off the coast of Florida were left without food or water for two days, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A Coast Guard helicopter spotted 96 Haitians, as well as a passenger from Uganda and the Bahamas, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Boca Raton, Florida last week. They were transferred to the Bahamian authorities on Sunday.
The passengers told the Coast Guard crew members that they had been at sea for a week and had no food or water for the past two days. The 40-foot cabin cruiser was overloaded with 53 men, 35 women and 10 children, the Coast Guard said in a statement.
Nobody was hurt.
“Smugglers don’t care if you live or die,” said Coast Guard District Seven Captain Robert Kinsey, citing the ship’s lack of livelihood and overloading. “These people are lucky to be alive.”
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