Twenty-three people were found missing after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Florida on Wednesday, US Border Patrol said in a statement as the hurricane hit the US state, CBS news reported.
"U.S. Border Patrol agents... responded to a migrant landing in Stock Island, Florida," Miami Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar said on Twitter, adding that four Cuban migrants swam to shore after their vessel sank due to harsh weather.
Three people were later rescued in the water about two miles south of Boca Chica, CBS news reported quoting the Coast guard.
The survivors were later taken to the nearby hospital as they complained of exhaustion and dehydration. The search for missing persons is still on.
More than one million Florida residents have lost power after the powerful and several homes have been put under evacuation orders as the dangerous storm hit the US. Moreover, Hurricane Ian sustained wind speeds up to 250km/h (155mph), bringing along heavy rains.
Earlier on Tuesday, seven migrants from Cuba were taken into custody after they made it to shore in Pompano Beach, Florida, Slosar said while announcing the detentions as he warned people to not risk lives by attempting this journey at sea.
Most of west-central Florida has witnessed rain and crushing winds due to hurricane Ian.
Quoting the National Hurricane Center, Al Jazeera has reported "catastrophic" flooding and wind damage on Florida's southwest coast due to Hurricane Ian.
Moreover, Cuba also started slowly restoring power on Wednesday after the hurricane completely collapsed the island's electricity grid and wreaked havoc.
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