A yacht carrying a crew of seven men washed ashore and beached in Little Cayman during Hurricane Paloma.

The boat got into difficulty during the storm and got beached on the north side of the island. Initial reports are that some of the men on board were treated for minor injuries but are all safe.

The crew included five Cuban–Americans and two Mexicans but the police in Little Cayman and Immigration are in the process of verifying that information.

“I understand they were on a yacht and were heading to another Caribbean island when they got caught in the storm,” says Chief Immigration Officer Franz Manderson. “The police in Little Cayman are interviewing the men who washed ashore to determine exactly what happened and to find out what their true intentions were.”

The police and Immigration had not determined if they would be inspecting any of the cargo on the yacht by press time.

Category 4 Hurricane Paloma passed Little Cayman in the early morning hours last Saturday with winds between 130 to 140 mph