HAVANA, May 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard has returned to Cuba nine more Cuban migrants intercepted at sea while trying to flee the island illegally, Cuban state media reported on Wednesday.
The handover of the nine on Tuesday took to more than 900 the number of Cuban would-be migrants repatriated by U.S. authorities under a May 1995 immigration accord.
Cuba's domestic news agency AIN said the nine Cubans, all men, came from the provinces of Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus and Las Tunas and had been intercepted trying to leave the communist-ruled Caribbean island in two separate groups.
AIN said that after medical checks they were sent back to their respective provinces by Cuban authorities.
The United States and Cuba, which do not have formal diplomatic ties, reached agreement on the immigration issue to stem a flood of Cuban rafters seeking to flee the island and to ensure safe, orderly, legal migration by Cubans to the United States.
13:26 05-06-98
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