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HAVANA, Dec. 22 (AP) — Six women went to the Bahamas embassy on Wednesday, hoping to provide a list of more than 100 Cubans who have not been heard from since leaving the island this year.
Some are believed to have gone missing when the rickety boat sank, but families believe many are in the custody of Bahamian authorities.
Another group of members of at least two WhatsApp groups involved in the effort said they traveled to the Cuban foreign ministry seeking an investigation into the fate of missing persons in Cuba and the Bahamas.
The women at the Bahamian embassy declined to comment to The Associated Press, saying they were just desperate relatives whose only goal was to get to know their loved ones.
Cuba is experiencing a wave of immigration amid an economic crisis caused by the impact of the pandemic and U.S. sanctions. Shortages of essential goods, long lines and inflation are all common in 2021 and 2022.
There are no official figures for those who have disappeared since leaving Cuba. The list, compiled by families participating in the WhatsApp group and presented to The Associated Press, contains 135 names.
The Associated Press was unable to verify whether the list had been turned over to Bahamian authorities.
The families’ efforts coincided with an official visit by Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis, who was received by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Tuesday night. An agenda for Davis’ visit was not released.
In the 12 months ended Sept. 30, 6,182 Cubans trying to reach the United States by sea were stopped, according to the US Coast Guard.
It said it had no specific information on deaths at sea, but found 22 migrant deaths in fiscal year 2022. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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