Authorities in Cuba said on Thursday that another crew member from a US-flagged speedboat involved in a shootout with the coast guard last week has died from his injuries.
Prosecutors have brought terrorism charges against the remaining crew members of the vessel, who are suspected of attempting to smuggle weapons into Cuba in a bid to destabilise the communist government in Havana.
The interior ministry, in a statement broadcast on state television, stated that one of the six survivors, identified as Roberto Alvarez Avila, “died on March 4 from wounds he received.”
The confrontation occurred on 25 February when a coast guard vessel approached the speedboat and requested identification. According to Cuban authorities, the crew responded by opening fire.
Cuban coast guard forces returned fire, killing four other people on board the vessel, which had approached to within one nautical mile of the Caribbean island’s coastline.
Officials said the speedboat, registered in US, was carrying weapons of several calibres, including 14 rifles, 11 pistols and nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition.
The interior ministry added that the investigation into the incident was progressing with the cooperation of US authorities, “including evidence sharing and other joint actions.”
At least two of the individuals aboard the speedboat were US citizens, one of whom was among those killed.
Trump administration has openly expressed its desire for regime change in Cuba and imposed an energy blockade on the island following the removal of leftist leader Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, who had previously been Cuba’s main oil supplier.
