Eight refugees fleeing from Cuba were found themselves rescued after a Royal Caribbean cruise ship spotted them out at sea just before the sun came up on Sunday morning.
The refugees were floating on a row boat that appeared to be attached to barrels, with backpacks and paddles inside.
The refugees were floating on a row boat that appeared to be attached to barrels, with backpacks and paddles inside. Photo courtesy http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
The aptly-titled Independence of the Seas cruise ship chaperoned the men by sailing alongside and watching to make sure they were safe until the US Coast Guard arrived and picked them up.
Passenger Mark Sims said that at first others believed the refugees were pirates trying to get on the ship.
There were more than 4,000 passengers and 1,500 crew members on board at the time.
Some passengers on the ship at first believed the refugees were pirates trying to get on the ship. Photo courtesy http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
This isn’t the first time a Royal Caribbean ship picked up Cuban refugees.
Just last month Freedom the Seas picked up seven Cubans who had been out in the ocean with only crackers and water for ten days.
The US Coast Guard picked up the passengers and provided aid, according to Yahoo!.
And in 2012 another Royal Caribbean ship picked up 23 refugees as it sailed from Jamaica to Mexico. Article courtesy http://www.dailymail.co.uk
There were more than 4,000 passengers and 1,500 crew members on board Independence of the Seas (pictured in a file photo) at the time. Photo courtesy http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
