The Coast Guard Cutter Thetis’ crewmembers deploy the cutter’s small boat to rescue people in the water approximately 32 miles southeast of Key West, Fla., on Tuesday, July 6, 2021. The U.S. Coast Guard and a good Samaritan rescued 13 people after their boat capsized off of Key West as Tropical Storm Elsa approached. KEY WEST, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard and a good Samaritan rescued 13 people after their boat capsized off of Key West as Tropical Storm Elsa approached, the agency said.
Crew members interviewed the survivors, who said they had left Cuba with 22 people aboard the boat around 8 p.m. Monday. They told the Coast Guard that seven men and two women were missing in the water. Tropical Storm Elsa crossed Cuba before entering the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday morning, and battered the region with wind and rain.