Miami Beach Police say a group of nine migrants came ashore early Monday morning.
Nine people, including eight men and one woman, were traveling aboard a twin-engine fishing boat when it got stuck on a sandbar. U.S. Coast Guard officials searched the waters from above when they saw the boat, with both engines churning, spinning in circles in the water.
The group of nine managed to get ashore in the area of 24th Street and Collins Avenue near the beach, police say. The group initially ran from Miami Beach Police, but were eventually apprehended and turned over to Border Patrol agents.
Police say there may have been more migrants aboard the fishing boat who got away before police could apprehend them.
Five of the migrants are from India, two are from Jamaica, one is from Haiti and one is from the Bahamas, according to Border Patrol. It is not yet known where the group originated from.
Border Patrol agents who inspected the boat say it was carrying extra gallong of gas, but only three life jackets.
Curious beachgoers snapped pictures as the scene unfolded.
"We often forget that in this country, people really do want to get here," said George Diggle, a nearby resident. "It's quite a country."
