HAULOVER BEACH, Fla. – Witnesses thought undocumented migrants had landed on a beach on Friday in Miami-Dade County, but later learned the beached boat belonged to two fishermen who had been stranded at sea.
Benoit Garçon and Ledieu Similien said they departed Thursday night from the Pelican Harbor Marina, at 1275 NE 79 St., and were in the ocean when their engine cut off.
“The sea was rough,” Similien said.
U.S. Border Patrol agents responded to the beached vessel in the Haulover Inlet and Beach Park area.
Garçon said the boat’s rusty anchor was not strong enough for the rough seas. They drifted to shore and were beached near a lifeguard stand in Halouver Beach.
Garçon and Similien said relatives picked them up and they returned for the boat.
According to Adam Hoffner, the assistant chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol’s Miami sector, the agents didn’t have anyone in custody.
Noon report:
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editors Joyce Grace Ortega and Kelly Davis contributed to this report.
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