Six Cuban migrants were stuck in the middle of the ocean after their makeshift raft veered off course in the Gulf of Mexico. Luckily, the Carnival Paradise cruise ship was nearby.

The cruise ship was owned and operated by cruise giant Carnival Cruises. The ship quickly rescued the stranded Cuban migrants and let them aboard.

According to the Daily Mail, the six migrants were likely heading to Florida, the destination the migrants from the Caribbean usually head to. Their raft resembled a piece of furniture, said one witness aboard the Carnival Paradise.

Carnival Paradise Cruise Passenger Talked About What Happened to Cuban Migrants

A video posted by one of the passengers, Orlando-based realtor Cintia Zingoni, had managed to capture the moment when one of the male Cuban passengers dove into the water and swam toward the cruise ship.

According to Zingoni, the makeshift vessel was just bobbing in the water, so she began filming. She also told CNN that they did not seem to have any paddles, and it wasn't really a boat but a piece of furniture. 

The realtor also admitted that she felt sad because while everybody inside the cruise ship was dancing and having fun, the migrants were out there fighting and struggling for their lives.

Zingoni also described the struggle by the Cuban migrants as a "suicide mission." Meanwhile, the other passengers, who also spoke up, said the makeshift raft only used a piece of fabric as a sail and had some styrofoam to remain afloat as a makeshift floatation device. 

They also used a pot lid as a makeshift paddle. As the migrants reached the ship, passengers can be heard cheering and clapping. 

Another passenger told CNN that it was lucky that the cruise ship managed to come across them, as the weather turned worse later that evening.

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Carnival Paradise Cruise Ship Handed Over Cuban Migrants to Mexican Authorities

Carnival Paradise was supposed to sail from Tampa, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico. However, it paused its journey for a while to rescue the Cuban migrants.

The New York Post reported that Carnival Cruise officials gave the migrants a medical check-up, food, and fresh clothes. However, when the ship finally reached its destination in Cozumel, they turned over the migrants to Mexican officials.

When the migrants were rescued, the ship's captain announced that although they were dehydrated, all six aboard the makeshift vessel were otherwise fine.

This was not the first time a Carnival Cruise ship rescued some Cuban migrants. Another incident happened in June, just 60 nautical miles from Key West, Florida.

The Carnival Cruise ship Mardi Gras managed to rescue 16 stranded Cubans. Like the ones rescued by the Carnival Paradise personnel, they were also given medical attention, food, and clothing but were soon handed over to the U.S. Coast Guard afterward.

The rescue comes as more Cubans try to escape the country, as food and energy shortages ravage the communist island nation.

Cubans who seek asylum in the United States are typically granted permanent residency thanks to the 1962 Cuban Adjustment Act. However, those who are picked up at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard are usually returned to Cuba.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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