Cuban Forces Kill Four People And Wound Six Aboard Civilian Boat With U.S. Tags, Officials Say

Cuban forces killed four people and wounded six more who were aboard a speed boat with Florida tags after they were fired upon, the government said on Wednesday.

Havana's Ministry of Interior detailed that the vessel approached within one nautical mile of Villa Clara on Monday morning. When local forces approached the vessel to identify its passengers, its occupants opened fire, leading forces to respond.

The statement added that the commander of the Cuban vessel was wounded. All those injured were "evacuated and received medical assistance," Havana added.

Authorities did not provide additional details about the identity of those aboard the U.S. vessel or their motivations.

The incident comes as tensions between Havana and Washington continue to escalate amid the latter's blockade of most fuel reaching the island.

Cuba didn't receive any oil in January for the first time in a decade. Bloomberg noted in another report that the lack of shipments illustrates the acute lack of fuel taking place in the country, with an analyst telling the outlet that he expects it to run out in the coming weeks.

Vortexa Ltd senior analyst Rohit Rathod noted that Cuba received substantial amounts of oil in December, which should last for some more weeks. However, the lack of new "I would give it until late-March before they run out of fuels," he added.

The same outlet also reported last Friday that a ship potentially carrying Russian fuel is on its way to the beleaguered Caribbean country. The Sea Horse, it said, is expected to arrive in early March. It received ship-to-ship transfer off the coast of Cyprus and is believed to be carrying some 200,000 barrels of gasoil, according to maritime intelligence firm Kpler.

In this context, another Bloomberg report noted that the Trump administration is planning to allow energy companies to sell fuel to private businesses in Cuba while continuing the blockade of the regime.