HAVANA, July 30 (Reuters) - Cuba repatriated on Friday 90 Haitian boat-people who were stranded on the island three weeks ago when their vessel ran into trouble on its way to the United States.
The Cuban government, aided by the Red Cross, flew the 76 men, 11 women and three children from the eastern city of Guantanamo to the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.
State news agency Prensa Latina said the Haitians reached the coast of Moa in Holguin province after ``problems with the precarious boat'' in which they were travelling. The agency noted that Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas and said the boat-people were trying to get to the United
States in ``search of sustenance.''
Cuban authorities said the would-be immigrants to the United States turned up in Cuba on July 7, but did not give details of what happened to the boat.
The repatriation was the second from Cuba to Haiti this year after 133 people were sent back in March. Some 15,000 Haitians have been returned in the same way over the last decade.
Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, is separated from Cuba by 48 miles (77 km) of Caribbean sea.
18:28 07-30-99
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