Cuban forces shoot 4 dead on U.S. speedboat, Havana says

Cuban forces killed four people on an American speedboat after it opened fire on Cuban border agents Wednesday morning, the country’s Interior Ministry said.

As the Florida-registered vessel came within a nautical mile of Cuba’s northern coast, the country’s border guard troops approached and asked for identification, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The speedboat crew opened fire on the Cuban troops, injuring the vessel’s commander, the ministry said. Cuban forces returned fire.

Four people on the speedboat were killed and six wounded, the ministry said. The wounded were evacuated to receive medical attention.

The Washington Post could not independently confirm Cuba’s version of events. The U.S. State Department declined to comment.

It was not immediately clear why the boat would have been traveling so close to Cuba’s north-central Villa Clara province. Cuban authorities are investigating, the ministry said.

“In the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban State in safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region,” the ministry said.

Tensions between Washington and Havana have escalated in recent weeks as President Donald Trump’s effective oil embargo on the communist nation worsens a years-long humanitarian crisis.

• Adam Taylor contributed to this report.