The Cuban Coast Guard shot dead four people and wounded six others in a shootout with the crew of a US-registered speedboat. This was stated by the Cuban Ministry of the Interior on Tuesday, which is referred to by the AFP agency. The boat was spotted one nautical mile from Falcones Cay in Villa Clara province in the central part of the island, according to the ministry. The crew of the American boat started shooting at the approaching coast guard, wounding the captain of the Cuban boat.
“As a result of this clash, at the time of writing this report, there were four victims on the side of the foreign aggressors and six others injured,” the ministry said. It added that the injured were evacuated and given medical attention. The Interior Department warned that it would defend Cuban territorial waters.
The shootout occurred at a time of increased tension between the US and Cuba, which lies about 160 kilometers from the coast of Florida. The United States on Wednesday eased its restrictions on Venezuelan oil exports to the Cuban private sector on humanitarian grounds. Since December, the communist country has been experiencing an energy crisis due to the American oil blockade.
