Photo: Bloomberg
Nearly two dozen migrants were rescued by a cruise ship near the coast of Cuba on Monday (January 2). The Celebrity Beyond cruise ship found the group stranded in the water, packed into a tiny boat made of wood and styrofoam.
Captain Kate McCue expertly positioned the 1,703-foot ship so they could intercept the tiny vessel. Crew members helped the migrants onboard and provided them with food and blankets.
McCue shared a video of the dramatic rescue on Instagram.
"Thank you to all the crew who made this rescue possible. Chief Officer Nikos, you will always be my eagle eyes," she wrote.
Later that day, the Carnival Celebration also found five people floating in the water near Cuba and rescued them. The crew coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard and dropped the migrants off at Key West before continuing on its journey.
"The ship resumed on its voyage with its scheduled itinerary unaffected, and Carnival Celebration returned to Miami on Tuesday morning after a week-long Caribbean cruise," Carnival Crusie Lines spokesman Matt Lupoli told ABC News.
The rescues happened on the same day that officials were forced to close Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys after around 300 migrants washed ashore.