Cruise ship stops off FL coast to help a raft in distress

A cruise ship stopped to help a raft full of Haitian migrants whose raft was sinking off the Florida coast.

A group of passengers from East Texas, including Republican Texas State Rep. Matt Schaefer witnessed the assist. Schaefer said, "We were out in the middle of the ocean where you have essentially a cruise ship which represents the economic prosperity of the United States next to this little raft, crowded full of people, out in the middle of the ocean, trying to get to freedom."

The cruise ship lowered food and water to the passengers on the raft. Those passengers were furiously bailing water from their vessel. They were eventually picked up by the Coast Guard.

The raft was from Haiti. Twenty-nine people were onboard.