Boat With Over 800 Migrants From Haiti Arrives in Cuba Instead of the U.S.

A boat with at least 842 migrants from Haiti arrived on the coast of Cuba instead of the United States, which is their target location.

Associated Press noted that the group of migrants aboard the boat arrived on the coast of Villa Blanca in Cuba on Tuesday. The said area is located 300 kilometers or 180 miles east of the country's capital, Havana.

The boat was swept to the coast of Cuba instead of the United States due to several days of stormy weather and thunderstorms, Reuters reported. Furthermore, reports noted that it is not unusual for currents and winds to bring Haitians to Cuba. The country is known to border most of the seas surrounding Haiti and the United States.

State broadcaster Telecubanacan released images of the said migrant boat revealing a gray ship crowded with Haitians, lining the decks from bow to stern. Haitians were also seen on the rooftop part of the boat as it swayed in rough, windswept seas.

According to reports, the 842 migrants of Haiti included at least 70 children, and 97 women with two of them reportedly pregnant.

Red Cross officials from the province of Villa Clara told local news outlet Granma that the migrants from Haiti were given medical attention and were being housed at a tourist campground.

"Cuban authorities are in contact with the government of Haiti to ensure the safe and voluntary return of these people to their country, in accordance with the international agreements on migration," the state-run media underscored.

Other Instances Where Haiti Migrants Flee to the U.S.

The. U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday said that it stopped a sail freighter carrying at least 153 migrants from Haiti. The said vehicle was stopped by the authorities near the Florida Keys.

Earlier this month, the Coast Guard also rescued 36 migrants from Haiti and found another 11 dead - all of them women - after a boat capsized in the waters northwest of Puerto Rico.

The Coast Guard also spotted more than 130 Haitians aboard a boat near the Bahamas in April.

According to reports, the U.S. Coastguard has come across at least 4,500 migrants from Haiti since October last year. Many of these Haitians were reportedly trying to enter the U.S. through the coast of Florida Keys.

Why Haitians Migrate

Reports claimed that Haiti's crumbling economy and the heightening of gang violence in the country have prompted thousands of Haitians to flee from their home country in the past year.

According to ABC News, gangs in Haiti are fighting each other over the control of territories, such as in the capital Port-au-Prince. The city reportedly recorded a new intensity of brutality among the gangs.

Gangs in the country have reportedly forced schools, businesses, and hospitals to close as the violent groups raid new neighborhoods and take control of the main roads connecting the capital to the rest of the country.

U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that at least 92 civilians and 96 suspected gang members were killed between April 24 and May 16. Injuries from the same time frame accounted for 133, while 12 were reported missing and 49 were kidnapped for ransom.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Boat With Hundreds Of Haitian Migrants Grounds Off Key Largo - From CBS Miami