Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior said four foreign nationals were killed during an exchange of gunfire between a border guard patrol boat and an American-registered speedboat off the island’s northern coast.

The ministry reported that the encounter took place near Cayo Falcones, a reef outside the town of Corallilo. A patrol craft carrying five servicemembers moved in to check identification after spotting the speedboat in the area. Cuban authorities alleged the speedboat fired first as the vessels closed, wounding the patrol commander.

Cuban personnel responded with gunfire, the ministry said, resulting in four deaths on the speedboat and six additional injuries. The injured were evacuated for medical treatment, but the statement did not provide names, nationalities, or updates on their conditions. An investigation into what the speedboat was doing is under way.

Authorities identified the craft as a Florida-registered vessel with license number FL7726SH. U.S. records tie that registration to a 1981-built Pro-Line speedboat with hull serial number 00916. The Cuban account did not specify the model, though boats from that builder and era are typically small, outboard-powered pleasure craft of roughly 6.4–7.0 m in length.

The report comes as U.S.–Cuba relations remain strained. The source states that the Trump administration has halted petroleum deliveries to Cuba through a full blockade on tankers, adding pressure to an economy reliant on imported fuels. Cuba’s power system is described as heavily dependent on diesel generation and supplies of fuel oil.

In the same statement, the ministry said Cuba would continue defending its territorial waters, framing national defense as essential to sovereignty and regional stability.