Carnival Cruise Ship Rescues Cuban Refugees

A group of Cuban refugees were rescued by a passing cruise ship after encountering distress while trying to come to America. The crew of the Carnival cruise ship Triumph rescued the group of 17 Cubans near the Cayman Islands on June 13 after their home made boat started taking on water. "They had a SOS flag," said Harrison Cooper, a passenger on board the cruise ship. "They were sending out a SOS because it was sinking."Officials say the group also ran out of drinking water after a six-day journey. They had a lot of saltines on board, but they didn't have enough water to last," said passenger John Cooper. The captain notified passengers of the rescue as crew members lifted the group to safety. "The captain came out and said we're going to make a rescue," said John Cooper. "We're going to bring people on, we're going to give them water, clean them up and feed them."The 11 men and six women were turned over to the U.S. Coast Guard in international waters before the ship returned. The Coast Guard will most likely repatriate the group to Cuba since they never made it to U.S. soil.