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115 Haitians Found Hidden Aboard Boat Off Florida

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<i> Associated Press</i>

The Coast Guard found 115 Haitians crammed into a secret compartment on a boat that was stopped early Sunday for not having navigation lights.

The Haitians were behind a false wall in a 6-foot-tall compartment 20 feet long by 6 feet wide above the engine room, the Coast Guard said.

The 65-foot motorboat was spotted about 4 a.m. two miles off Miami Beach.

The Coast Guard patrol boat escorted the vessel to the Miami Beach Coast Guard Station, where the 78 men and 37 women were found.

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One woman was taken to a hospital because of a possible punctured lung. The others were turned over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Most Haitian refugees caught at sea are returned home.

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