Cuban authorities said on Thursday (March 5, 2026) that a fifth crew member of a U.S.-flagged speedboat involved in a shootout with the coast guard last week has died of his wounds.
Prosecutors have filed terrorism charges against the surviving crew members of the boat, suspected of trying to bring weapons to Cuba in hopes of destabilizing the communist government in Havana.
One of the six survivors, identified as Roberto Alvarez Avila, "died on March 4 from wounds he received," the Interior Ministry said in a statement on state TV.
The shootout occurred on February 25 when a coast guard boat approached the vessel to demand identification, and the crew responded by opening fire.
The Cuban coast guard shot and killed four other people aboard the boat, which came within one nautical mile of the Caribbean island's shores.
