Cuba said it had killed four people traveling on a US-registered speedboat, risking a heightening of tensions with Washington.
Havana said those killed belonged to a group of Cuban nationals trying to “infiltrate” the island nation, with the US secretary of state promising to investigate the “highly unusual” incident.
Washington has tightened its embargo on Cuba in recent weeks, sending the country’s economy into a tailspin, but said it would roll back some restrictions on firms reselling Venezuelan oil to Cuban private sector firms, a move that could ease Havana’s fuel crisis.
Canada and Mexico, meanwhile, vowed to send aid to the island, which the United Nations warned faces a humanitarian “collapse.”