Earlier this week, the coast guard intercepted and assisted 176 illegal migrants of Haitian origin aboard a heavily overloaded sailboat, avoiding a tragedy off the Florida Keys.

The sailboat was initially detected by an Air and Maritime Customs and Border Protection crew about 25 miles northeast of Anguilla Cay, Bahamas.

The crew of Coast Guard Paul Clark were diverted to the location of the sailboat. Once there, the crew of the Paul Clark provided Haitian migrants with individual life jackets to avoid loss of life, in a sea with waves of 4 to 6 feet, the wooden sailboat in poor condition, not had no rescue equipment or navigation lights.

Upon crossing inside the reef line, a Coast Guard Station Islamorada boat crew and federal law enforcement officers coordinated with their state and local law enforcement partners to take the people into custody, oblivious to the dangers which they had escaped.

"It is extremely dangerous to navigate the Florida Straits in an unseaworthy vessel, especially off the Florida Keys where the water is extra treacherous with shoals and reefs," said Chief Warrant Officer James Kinney, command duty officer, Sector Key West. "Thanks to the quick coordination among so many different agencies, no lives were lost during this interdiction."

10 Haitians were taken to a local hospital due to symptoms of dehydration.

IH/ iciHaiti