Cruise ship rafters: A Disney cruise ship rescued five migrant rafters near the Florida Keys this week.
The U.S. Coast Guard said that the Disney Wonder picked up the five migrants, whose nationality was not known, on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman with Disney said the cruise ship’s crew spotted a raft around 42 miles south of Key West.
The rafters were handed food, water, and were given medical attention.
Rebecca Peddie, a Disney spokeswoman, told SILive.com that this was the second time in under a week that the Wonder picked up rafters in the same area.
“Last Friday, at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Disney Wonder picked up eight people on a raft in the same general area,” Peddie said. “We are proud of the Disney Wonder crew members, who skillfully demonstrated their training and commitment to maritime protocols around saving lives at sea,” Peddie added.
The Carnival Conquest also said it picked up 13 Cuban nationals about 40 miles from Key West on Friday.
Generally, if a Cuban national does not reach U.S. shores, they are sent back to their homeland.
Crews on both cruise ships provided their new passengers with food, water and medical attention.
No injuries were reported.
The Coast Guard will now determine whether to send them back to their home country or turn them over to U.S. authorities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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