MIAMI – The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued two Cuban fishermen who had been adrift for three days without food or water.
According to a Coast Guard news release, the Cuban Board Guard contacted the agency Wednesday after the fishing boat didn't return to Santa Cruz del Norte, Cuba.
The Coast Guard station in Islamorada received a mayday call Thursday from a disabled vessel off the Florida Keys matching the missing boat's description. The men on board were rescued about 17 miles south of Grassy Key.
Both men were taken to Mariners Hospital in Islamorada. They will be returned to Cuba.
The Coast Guard recently released statistics on a dramatic drop in the number of Cuban migrants trying to reach U.S. shores by sea since President Barack Obama ended the "wet foot, dry foot" policy in January. The number has held at zero since April 1.