36 Cubans rescued in Bahamas

The abandoned Cuban migrants are seen on a Coast Guard plane's video.

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MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Thirty-six Cubans have been rescued after smugglers abandoned them Christmas Eve on an island in the Bahamas, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.

A Coast Guard plane from Air Station Miami spotted the Cubans on a strip of land Tuesday near Elbow Cay after a Coast Guard cutter gave chase to a "suspicious" speedboat in the area, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

As the speedboat carrying the suspected smugglers raced toward Cuban waters and avoided capture, the Cubans got the attention of the HU-25 Falcon jet pilot by waving, the statement said.

The 25 men, nine women and two girls were in good health, with minor scratches, the statement added.

They were taken aboard the cutter, where they were given food and water. They were to be handed over to officials in Nassau.

"Abandoning these migrants with little food or water and leaving them is a grossly inhumane act," said Lt. Tony Russell.

"Smugglers have no regard for the well-being of their human cargo, only their own financial gain."

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