(Bloomberg) — Cuban forces killed four people and wounded six others traveling in a speedboat with Florida plates after they opened fire on the island’s border patrol, the government said.
The vessel came within one nautical mile of the coast of Villa Clara on Wednesday morning, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. As security forces approached to identify the passengers, the occupants opened fire, injuring the commander of the military vessel.
Tensions are high in the US and Cuba as the Donald Trump administration has effectively imposed a naval blockade on the communist-run island and dramatically cut off its access to fuel. The president also pondered the collapse of the six-decade-old regime.
“In the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protect its territorial waters based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban state,” the ministry said. Injured passengers are provided with medical care.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump appeared to offer some relief to Cuba as early as Tuesday, when the government indicated it would allow fuel imports for private businesses on the island.
At the same time, the Trump administration has been pressuring other countries to stop using Cuban medics, creating much-needed hard currency for the cash-strapped island, especially now that its tourism industry has taken a hit.
Cuba has been a one-party state since the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro toppled the US-backed dictator. The Caribbean nation of about 10 million relied on the support of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991, and until recently relied on subsidized Venezuelan oil to meet its energy needs.
(Update with additional context beginning in the fifth paragraph. Previous versions corrected the timing of the incident in the second and the spelling of the State Department in the fifth.)
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