Caribbean Sea

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Lawmakers Troubled by Video of 2nd Strike on Boat Survivors

Video stirs debate over legality of strike on stranded men

(Newser) - Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are demanding answers after viewing video footage of the controversial Sept. 2 US military strike in the Caribbean Sea. The footage, shown during a day of congressional meetings attended by Navy Adm. Frank M. Bradley , revealed that two alleged drug smugglers were attempting to flip their...

Congress Looks Into Report Hegseth Issued Kill Order

House, Senate panels pledge oversight of military operations in Caribbean

(Newser) - House and Senate committees have launched inquiries in response to reporting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered that everyone on a vessel the US says was smuggling drugs in the Caribbean be killed . Hegseth gave the spoken command after two people appeared to have survived the initial US strike in...

US Military Announces Its 20th Boat Strike

4 are reported dead after Caribbean Sea hit that US government alleges targeted a drug vessel

(Newser) - The US military's 20th strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs has killed four people in the Caribbean Sea, the US military said Friday, coming as the Trump administration escalates its campaign in South American waters. The latest strike happened Monday, according to a social media post on...

Largest US Aircraft Carrier Now in Latin American Waters

USS Gerald R. Ford, 3 destroyers bring more than 5K more US military personnel to region

(Newser) - The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy's largest and newest aircraft carrier, has entered waters near Latin America as part of a growing US naval buildup. The Ford, along with three destroyers, arrived in the region Tuesday, pushing the number of US warships there to over a dozen—an...

Jamaica Braces for 'Extreme Devastation'

Hurricane Melissa is now strongest storm of 2025

(Newser) - Hurricane Melissa has become the planet's most powerful storm so far in 2025, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm has hit 175mph maximum sustained winds as it approaches Jamaica , making it a Category 5 hurricane. Only nine Atlantic hurricanes on record have packed stronger sustained winds, with...

On a Tropical Isle, Possible Grim Hints of US Strikes

Bodies with burn marks, missing limbs have washed ashore from the Caribbean in Trinidad

(Newser) - In Trinidad, a grim mystery has surfaced along the island's northeastern coast: mutilated bodies washing ashore shortly after US military strikes in the Caribbean. The first corpse, bearing burn marks and missing limbs, appeared in Cumana soon after a widely reported US attack on a boat in early September,...

Hegseth: Military Destroyed Another Boat, Killing 4 Aboard
US Strike Kills 4 Off Venezuela
Oct 3, 2025 4:55 PM CDT

US Strike Kills 4 Off Venezuela

Hegseth provides no evidence that boat was carrying narcotics

(Newser) - The US military killed four men on a boat in international waters near Venezuela on Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in a post, claiming without presenting evidence that the vessel was involved in smuggling narcotics and those on board were linked to terrorist organizations. It was the fourth...

Colombia's President Slams US Boat Strikes as 'Murder'

Petro demands answers as US strikes spark legal and ethical debate

(Newser) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro has labeled recent US airstrikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean as an "act of tyranny," raising pointed questions about their legality and human cost. In a BBC interview , Petro argued that using military force against such vessels—reportedly resulting in 17...

Exploration Has Begun on 'Holy Grail of Shipwrecks'
Deep in the Caribbean,
an 'Unprecedented'
Mission Is Underway
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 1, 2024 11:40 AM CDT

Deep in the Caribbean, an 'Unprecedented' Mission Is Underway

Colombian government begins exploring Spain's San Jose galleon, the 'holy grail of shipwrecks'

(Newser) - In June of 1708, the Spanish galleon San Jose was attacked by the British Royal Navy and sank in the Caribbean off the coast of Cartagena, resting on the ocean floor with a reputed $20 billion in treasure on board. Only a handful of the 600 or so men on...

One of Our Biggest Mammals Finally Gets a Sanctuary

Caribbean island of Dominica preserves about 300 square miles for nearly 3 dozen whale families

(Newser) - The tiny Caribbean island of Dominica is creating the world's first marine-protected area for one of Earth's largest animals: the endangered sperm whale. Nearly 300 square miles of royal blue waters on the western side of the island nation that serve as key nursing and feeding grounds will...

Shark Kills Tourist in Caribbean Snorkeling Hot Spot

Italy's Antonio Roseto Degli Abruzzi was swimming off the coast of Colombia's island of San Andres

(Newser) - Colombia reported zero shark attacks off its coast in 2021, but that luck didn't extend very far into 2022. CBS News reports that an Italian tourist, identified by local media as 56-year-old Antonio Roseto Degli Abruzzi, was swimming Friday in the Caribbean, near a cliff off the island of...

He Was Sailing Alone at 77. Things Went Wrong
'It's the Panic
That Kills You.'
So He Didn't Panic
in case you missed it
Feb 27, 2022 7:25 AM CST

'It's the Panic That Kills You.' So He Didn't Panic

Don Cavers, 77, had quite the ordeal in the Caribbean Sea

(Newser) - Things went from bad to worse to oh-no for a 77-year-old man in the Caribbean Sea in December. But "it's the panic that kills you," says Canadian Don Cavers, and he managed not to panic. Cavers had flown to Colombia the month prior to buy a sailboat,...

They Left to Sail Around the World. It Was Bad Timing

Aussie family of 5 stranded at sea on yacht during coronavirus outbreak

(Newser) - An Australian family of five sailing around the world is "suddenly stateless" amid the global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus. 9News reports on the plight of Craig and Dianna Sparks and their 10-year-old triplets—Lawson, Oscar, and Avalon—who pushed off from Brisbane 10 months ago in their...

Frenchman Floats Across Atlantic in Giant Barrel

72-year-old's journey took 128 days

(Newser) - French adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin has made it across the Atlantic Ocean—128 days after he set off from the Canary Islands in a giant orange barrel. The 72-year-old, whose capsule was built by French barrel makers, finished his 2,930-mile journey across the Atlantic last week when he arrived unannounced...

She Was Alive as They Searched for Her —but Not for Long

Portia Ravenelle believed to have died 8 days after crash killed Orlando Moore

(Newser) - A man and woman from New York reported missing in the Dominican Republic are believed to have died following a car accident on their way to catch a 2am return flight on March 27. A body believed to be that of Orlando Moore (police cite an identifying tattoo) was found...

Huge 7.6 Quake Strikes Caribbean Sea

No major damage reported after one of region's strongest quakes on record

(Newser) - A massive 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea Tuesday night—but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage after what was one of the strongest earthquakes on record in the region. The US Geological Survey says the quake hit 25 miles off the coast...

Hurricane Irene Grows Stronger, Heads for US

Category 2 storm now on course for Bahamas

(Newser) - A rapidly strengthening Hurricane Irene roared off the Dominican Republic's northern coast yesterday, whipping up high waves and torrential downpours on a track that could see it reach the US Southeast as a major storm by the end of the week. Irene grew into a Category 2 hurricane late...

Be a Good American: Eat This Fish

The lionfish may ruin us if you don't!

(Newser) - How to make Uncle Sam proud: Buy American, fly a flag, eat...lionfish? That third one is, indeed, what one government agency would like you to do. The voracious, aggressively invasive lionfish is wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, off the Florida Keys, and along the Atlantic as far north as...

Deepest 'Black Smoker' Found in Caribbean

Deepest vent on record spews water hot enough to melt lead

(Newser) - More than 3 miles down in the Caribbean Sea, a remote-controlled vehicle has filmed the world's deepest "black smoker" vent: a gusher of iron sulfide so hot it could melt lead. "It was like wandering across the surface of another world," the geologist who piloted the vehicle...

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