Havana’s shoreline witnessed a deadly sea encounter on Wednesday. Cuban coast guard forces shot at a Florida-registered speedboat after an exchange of gunfire. The clash killed four people and injured six others near Cuba’s northern waters.

Clash Off Cayo Falcones

Cuba’s Interior Ministry said officials spotted a speedboat with registration number FL7726SH about one nautical mile from Cayo Falcones island in Villa Clara province. A Cuban patrol vessel moved in to identify the boat.

The ministry said the crew on the speedboat opened fire first. It stated, “As a coast guard vessel approached, ‘shots were fired from the illegal speedboat,’” and the gunfire injured the commander of the Cuban vessel.

Cuban forces responded with gunfire. The ministry confirmed: “As a result of the clash, at the time of this report, on the foreign side, four aggressors were killed and six others were wounded.” Authorities evacuated the injured and provided medical care.

Officials have not revealed the nationalities of those on board. They also have not explained why the US-registered boat approached Cuban waters.

US Officials Monitor Situation

In Washington, US Vice President JD Vance said the White House was “monitoring” developments. He added: “hopefully it’s not as bad as we fear it could be.”

Vance said Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed him on the matter. However, he admitted that “we don’t know a whole lot of details.”

Rubio also spoke while visiting St Kitts and Nevis. He said the United States would conduct its own assessment. “We’re not going to base our conclusions on what they’ve (Cuba) told us, and I’m very, very confident that we will know the full story of what happened here,” he told reporters.

Florida Orders Investigation

Florida’s attorney general has ordered an investigation into the shooting. Authorities have not yet shared details about the passengers or the purpose of their trip.

Background of Maritime Tensions

Cuba often reports that small boats from the United States enter its territorial waters without authorization. Officials usually link such incidents to people-smuggling or drug trafficking. However, fatal exchanges of gunfire remain rare.

Both sides continue to review the incident. Key details are still unclear.