Haitian migrants 'abandoned by smugglers' on island off Puerto Rico

A group of Haitian migrants have been rescued from an island off Puerto Rico after they were “abandoned by smugglers.”

This footage shared by the US Coast Guard shows the rescue of the 12 migrants from a rocky cliff on Monito Cay.

Coast Guard watchstanders in San Juan were alerted of a small campfire on the uninhabited natural reserve by US border control.

Upon investigation, crews found the stranded group, and got tucked into a life-saving, high-risk operation.

The migrants took turns to jump into the water, where they were safely recovered by the small boat crew.

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