5 Cuban rafters die at sea in attempt to leave country

Five Cubans died at sea during an illegal attempt to leave the island in a home-made raft, while another 18 were rescued by the army and oil workers, the Interior Ministry announced Friday.The boat capsized in the turbulent sea, killing four crew members Thursday morning. Another rafter died when he jumped into the sea shortly before the boat arrived at the coast, according to the ministry's report.The report said coast guards aided the other shipwreck survivors, 14 men and four women, when their ship landed on the northern Cuban coast. The survivors received quick medical care and were then sent to hospitals in Havana and Matanzas.The group of at least 23 rafters left from a place in the northern province of Artemisa in the last days of November, the report said.A joint group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Interior Forces are currently undertaking an intense aerial search along the northern coast for possible survivors or bodies.