The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, described it as "very unusual" for shots to be fired in open water, as reported in a recent incident related to Cuba, and assured that Washington will gather its own information to determine "exactly what happened," without jumping to conclusions.
"Let's have our own information on this. And we will find out exactly what happened… I will not speculate," he stated in response to questions from journalists.
Rubio emphasized that the episode is not something ordinary and pointed out that, "frankly," it hadn't happened with Cuba "in a long time," referring to similar events.
When asked whether there was any participation or direct communication with Cuban authorities, Rubio replied that there was not.
"We haven't spoken directly about this now with Cuba," he said, noting that at the moment his government had not held direct conversations with Havana about the matter.
The head of U.S. diplomacy indicated that there are "a number of things" that could have happened and spoke of a "wide range" of possible scenarios, but insisted that he would not speculate publicly until he has verified information.
In his brief statement, Rubio emphasized the exceptional nature of the event: "This is not something that happens every day... it's very unusual to see shootings," he noted, reiterating that the U.S. government will seek to establish the facts based on its own data before commenting on responsibilities.
The vessel involved in the armed confrontation that occurred this Wednesday in Cuban waters was part of a private flotilla organized to evacuate family members from the island, according to information published by The New York Times.
According to that source, a U.S. official stated that a civilian boat registered in the United States was involved in the shooting, as part of a fleet aimed at rescuing relatives from Cuba.
The official also specified that the boat did not belong to either the United States Navy or the Coast Guard.
The incident, initially reported by the Ministry of the Interior of Cuba, resulted in a preliminary toll of four dead and several wounded following an exchange of gunfire with Border Guard troops near Cayo Falcones in the province of Villa Clara.
So far, the identities of the victims have not been officially disclosed.
For its part, the specialized site The Maritime Executive provided technical details about the vessel identified with registration FL7726SH. According to that outlet, records in the United States indicate that it is a Pro-Line built in 1981, with hull number 00916.
The term Pro-Line refers to an American manufacturer of sport and fishing boats founded in Florida, known for small to medium-sized vessels.
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