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Webcam In Key West Captures Arrival Of Six Cuban Migrants On A Dive Boat

Tourists snapped pictures Wednesday morning at the Southernmost point in Key West with the boat that brought the Cuban migrants as background.
Nancy Klingener
/
WLRN
Tourists snapped pictures Wednesday morning at the Southernmost point in Key West with the boat that brought the Cuban migrants as background.

  Tourists lining up for photos at the Southernmost Point in Key West Wednesday morning had an unusual backdrop for their photos - a dive boat that brought six Cuban migrants to the U.S.

Archives from a webcam appear to show the boat arriving around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. According to the Key West Police Department, the group included three men and three women.


The group tied up to the colorful buoy at the end of Whitehead Street and walked down to Duval Street. Police located them "right away," according to a release from the police department. All were reported in good condition.


The boat sustained minor damage from rocks and the US Coast Guard was cleaning a "small fuel leak," according to police.

The webcam located at the Southernmost Point marker, at the corner of South and Whitehead streets in Key west, caught the arrival of the migrants at 12:45 am. 

The boat with the Cuban migrants arrived to Key West at 12:45 am.
Credit http://southernmostpointwebcam.com
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http://southernmostpointwebcam.com
The boat with the Cuban migrants arrived to Key West at 12:45 am.

Two of the travelers started tied the boat at 12:46 am while a group of people watched. 

Credit http://southernmostpointwebcam.com
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http://southernmostpointwebcam.com

The migrants talked to several individuals who were in the area where they landed in Key West. 

Credit http://southernmostpointwebcam.com
/
http://southernmostpointwebcam.com

At 1:08 am the migrants were still around the boat. One individual is seen on the webcam examining a map of the area. 

The migrants looked at the Key West map located on the corner of South and Whitehead streets.
Credit http://southernmostpointwebcam.com
/
http://southernmostpointwebcam.com
The migrants looked at the Key West map located on the corner of South and Whitehead streets.

But the newly-arrived migrants wandered away from the boat (and the camera)  at 1:10 am.  

The migrants wandered away from the boat at 1:09 am.
Credit http://southernmostpointwebcam.com/
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http://southernmostpointwebcam.com/
The migrants wandered away from the boat at 1:09 am.

At 1:40 am the webcam showed the arrival of the first police officers, who approached the boat with lanterns. 

Two police officers and some security showed up in the camera at 1:40 am.
Credit http://southernmostpointwebcam.com
/
http://southernmostpointwebcam.com
Two police officers and some security showed up in the camera at 1:40 am.

UPDATE:Heavy rains in the Keys during the night of July 13, combined with possible hull damage, sunk the fishing boat at the Truman Waterfront boat ramp. 

Credit Key West Police Department
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Key West Police Department

Officers of the Key West Police Department worked along with a salvage company to get the boat out of the water by the afternoon of Thursday July 14th. 

Key West PD Special Ops Officers Michael Chaustit, Michael Shouldice and Mike Wolf pose with the fishing boat after it was taken out of the water.
Credit Key West Police Department
/
Key West Police Department
Key West PD Special Ops Officers Michael Chaustit, Michael Shouldice and Mike Wolf pose with the fishing boat after it was taken out of the water.

Copyright 2020 WLRN 91.3 FM. To see more, visit WLRN 91.3 FM.

Nancy Klingener covers the Florida Keys for WLRN. Since moving to South Florida in 1989, she has worked for the Miami Herald, Solares Hill newspaper and the Monroe County Public Library.