Cuban Boaters’ Toll: 20 Saved, 2 Arrested, 5 Dead

Twenty-two Cubans rescued after their speedboat capsized will be brought to Florida, and two will be charged with smuggling illegal immigrants, a government official said Thursday.

Five of the passengers are believed to have drowned.

Twenty of the survivors are considered witnesses against the accused smugglers and will be allowed to remain in the United States after they testify, the Immigration and Naturalization Service official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Cubans are scheduled to arrive in Key West early today, a Coast Guard official said.

The 22 Cubans and one body had been pulled from the Florida Straits on Wednesday, hours after the speedboat smuggling them from Cuba capsized and sank. Four others remain missing.

The Coast Guard ended its search for the remaining victims late Thursday. The INS official said the accused smugglers could be charged in the deaths.

The surviving Cubans could have been returned to the communist island, but investigators determined their testimony is necessary to prosecute the alleged smugglers, the INS official said.

Under immigration law, Cubans who make it to the United States are generally allowed to remain.

Crew members of a passing freighter alerted authorities Wednesday after hearing screams in the water before dawn 17 miles southeast of Key West.

The immigrants were interviewed and held on a Coast Guard cutter, the 210-foot Seneca. They were provided food and water, and a tarp was set up to provide shelter.

Also Thursday, the Coast Guard said it intercepted a boat owned by the Cuban government. Three Cuban males were taken onto the Seneca and interviewed by the INS. Their future was also uncertain.

There was no comment from the Cuban government about the stranded immigrants. In the past, Havana has accused Washington of not doing enough to stop illegal-immigrant smuggling between Cuba and the United States.

It said Cubans undertake the risky voyage knowing they will be allowed to stay in the United States if they reach shore.

The Coast Guard said it has picked up 481 Cubans at sea so far this year.