Six desperate Cuban migrants floating on a raft fashioned from what appeared to be a piece of furniture were picked up on a cruise ship last week, according to reports.
Cintia Zingoni was on a Carnival Cruise on Friday when she saw the group bombing near the ship and started filming
“They didn’t have a paddle,” Zingoni, an Orlando-based realtor, told CNN. “It wasn’t really a boat. It was a piece of furniture, maybe a cabinet, and they made it like a boat.”
One of the migrants – who was likely making a desperate attempt to reach Florida – got off the dinghy and swam towards the ship before the whole group was brought on board.
“I felt sad. Everyone on the boat was dancing and having fun and dying,” Zingoni told the network. “It was almost a suicide mission to get inside that piece of wood.”
Passengers said the migrants used a piece of cloth as a sail, Styrofoam to stay afloat and a pot lid as a paddle.
They underwent a medical examination and food on board the ship before being handed over to Mexican officials after the liner reached Cozumel, according to CNN.
Beset by food shortages and power outages, a growing number of Cubans have made perilous attempts to reach the U.S. by any means available — including makeshift raft trips.
More than 175,000 Cubans have arrived in the country since July or last year — a new record, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials told the network.
In addition, 4,500 Cubans caught at sea have returned to the island.
Those who reach the US are generally granted political asylum, while migrants who land at sea are more likely to face a return to their homeland.
