23 migrants missing after boat sinks off Florida coast during Hurricane Ian

US Border Patrol says that four Cuban migrants swam to shore in Florida after their vessel sank

A boat carrying migrants to the United States sank off of the coast of Florida and left 23 people missing in the midst of Hurricane Ian, US Border Patrol said on Wednesday.

According to the agency, four Cuban migrants on the boat were able to swim to shore after their vessel sank. The US Coast Guard has launched a search and rescue mission for the 23 people who are missing as the hurricane threatens communities across the state.

“U.S. Border Patrol agents along with support from @mcsonews responded to a migrant landing in Stock Island #Florida,” Miami Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar wrote on Twitter. “4 Cuban migrants swam to shore after their vessel sank due to inclement weather. @USCGSoutheast initiated a #SAR operation to search for 23 individuals.”

The passengers who made it to shore did so at Stock Island, a small island bordering Key West located southwest of Everglades National Park.

Hurricane Ian is set to be one of the most devastating storms to make landfall in the United States in recent years. It is currently categorised as a Category 4 hurricane, just shy of Category 5, with maximum sustained winds of 150mph, and made landfall on Wednesday afternoon just west of Fort Meyers.

Millions of Florida residents are under evacuation orders, though Gov Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that it is now too late for people reamining in a select number of counties in southwest Florida in the hurricane’s path to leave.

The hurricane has also wreaked havoc in Cuba, where officials on Wednesday were working to restore power after the entire island lost power on Tuesday night.

Storms of the magnitude of Ian are rare. the US has seen just two Category 5 hurricanes in the last three decades, Hurricane Michael and Hurricane Andrew, both of which made landfall in Florida and claimed numerous lives and caused tens of billions of dollars worth of damage.