Her video shows what appears to be a small piece of fabric the migrants were using as a sail and styrofoam attached to the sides of their vessel for flotation. Zingoni said it also appeared the migrants were using a pot lid to paddle.

The migrants were welcomed on board the ship where they received a medical check-up, food and clothes, according to Carnival Cruise Lines spokesman Matt Lupoli. When the boat reached Cozumel, they were turned over to Mexican officials, he said.

According to Zingoni, the ship’s captain announced to passengers that the migrants were dehydrated but otherwise fine.

“I felt sad. Everyone on the boat was dancing and having fun and they were dying,” Zingoni said. “That was almost a suicide mission to go inside that piece of wood.”

Fellow passenger Lee Smith said the weather that evening took a turn for the worse.

Cubans who reach the United States and ask for asylum are typically able to gain permanent residency under a special status granted by the 1962 Cuban Adjustment Act. Cubans picked up at sea by the US Coast Guard are usually returned to the island.

According to US Customs and Border Protection, more than 175,000 Cubans have arrived in the US from Mexico since July last year. In the same period, more than 4,500 Cubans intercepted at sea have been returned to Cuba, the Coast Guard said in a statement Tuesday.