Cuba coastguard kills 4 in firefight with US-registered speedboat

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Agence France-PresseFebruary 25, 2026 at 09:08 PM

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On Wednesday, Cuba's coastguard killed four people and injured six others in a firefight with a US-registered speedboat near Falcones Cay in Villa Clara province. According to Cuba's interior ministry, the coastguard approached the "illegal" Florida-registered boat one nautical mile off the coast to identify it, at which point shots were fired from the boat, injuring the commander of the Cuban vessel. The Cuban coastguard returned fire, resulting in the deaths and injuries. A US official, cited by the New York Times, stated that the vessel was a civilian boat attempting to extract relatives from Cuba. The boat was identified as a 24-foot Pro-Line fishing boat built in 1981.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Villa Clara province 30% New York Times 30% Reuters 30% Florida 40% Falcones Cay 40% Havana 50% United States ×370% Cuban coastguard ×280% Cuba ×490%

Keywords

cuba 100% firefight 90% us-registered speedboat 90% exchange of fire 80% coastguard 80% illegal boat 70% territorial waters 60% maritime incident 60% florida 50%