San Juan (Puerto Rico), Jan 12 (AP) The US Coast Guard said a person from the Dominican Republic died after it fired at a fleeing boat in the Caribbean Sea that was smuggling an estimated USD 11 million worth of cocaine.

The agency said on Thursday that Coast Guard officials aboard a US Navy ship fired “warning shots and disabling fire” during the January 1 incident and found an injured crew member when they boarded.

Also Read | Where is Jeffrey Epstein Island? Know All About Former American Financier’s ‘Paedophile Island’.

The statement said that the person received first aid and was medically evacuated to the Dominican Republic, where they died. The person was not identified.

Fatal shootings involving the Coast Guard are rare.

Also Read | Bat Virus in Thailand: EcoHealth Alliance Researchers Discover Deadly Bat Virus with Zoonotic Potential in Cave, Reports.

“The Coast Guard takes any loss of life seriously and is working to investigate the incident,” spokesman Lt. Cmdr. John W. Beal said.

No further details were immediately available.

Two other suspected smugglers were arrested and 848 pounds (385 kilograms) of cocaine were seized from the boat, according to the Coast Guard. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)