SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (CMC) – The United States Coast Guard has rescued 48 Haitian migrants who were stranded on Monito Cay, Puerto Rico, in the Mona Passage.

“This was a very complex rescue, and the migrants were in pretty bad shape after being abandoned by smugglers in this austere and highly dangerous environment,” said Lieutenant Benjamin Williams, US Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser commanding officer.

“The Winslow Griesser crew performed superbly, while working with our Puerto Rico Police and Border patrol partners, in rescuing and saving the migrants from the cliff’s edge and jagged rocks and bringing them to the safety of the cutter.”

The US Coast Guard said it was initially contacted late Wednesday night by the aircrew of a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft who spotted the migrants flashing a light and waving their hands for assistance.

The US Coast Guard said that a Puerto Rico Police marine unit also responded. The migrants, 26 men and 22 women, were found on the side of the cliff and taking shelter inside nearby caves.

The US Coast Guard said that the migrants were transported to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, where they were transferred to awaiting US Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol agents, “who rendered assistance to the migrants along with Emergency Medical Service personnel at the scene”.