News
RCIPS Police Helicopter Assists with Rescue of Migrants at Sea, Along with CBC, CIFS and CICG
During the early morning of Thursday, 27 October 2022, three irregular migrants reached the shores of Cayman Brac and were met by the police and Cayman Islands Customs and Border Control officers. The migrants informed the officers that they had left Cuba several days before and had passed another vessel about 55 nautical miles northeast of Cayman Brac some 18 hours earlier. The vessel had broken down and was adrift with a large number of occupants.
A search and rescue operation was commenced by the Cayman Islands Coast Guard Operations & Rescue Coordination Centre (ORCC), and the RCIPS Air Operations Unit was tasked to commence a search of the seas to the east of Cayman Brac. The helicopter crew aboard X-Ray 2 arrived off Cayman Brac shortly after 10:00AM, and commenced a search out towards the direction of Cuba aided by drift analysis from the US Coast Guard. Shortly before 10:30AM, the X-Ray 2 crew spotted the Cuban vessel 18 nautical miles east of Cayman Brac, and on investigation saw that there were signs of distress amongst some of the boat occupants, and that others were signaling for help.
Co-ordinated through the ORCC, the Cayman Islands Fire Service rescue launch, crewed by Fire and CBC staff, launched from Cayman Brac to effect the rescue. They were aided by a private yacht which was in the vicinity and ultimately assisted with transport back to Cayman Brac. From the vessel being sighted by the X-Ray 2 crew to assistance coming alongside was a period of two hours.
Due to the time delay anticipated for the rescue, the crew of X-Ray 2 lowered two gallons of fresh water to the vessel, and a Spanish speaking crew member used the helicopter PA system to communicate with the boat occupants to inform and reassure them of the rescue efforts. Fourteen occupants were accounted for on the boat, 13 males and 1 female, 3 of whom were assessed to be in need of critical medical attention. All occupants were conveyed to Cayman Brac where they received medical attention and were processed.
It transpired that the Cuban vessel had suffered engine failure and been adrift for 7 days, and drinking water on the boat had been exhausted the day before.
