Cuba calls migrant boat crash an accident, denies ramming

Cuba has denied that its coast guard vessel was to blame for a collision with a migrant-packed boat that led to the deaths of seven people, including a two-year-old girl, saying the migrant boat made an abrupt turn in heavy swells that caused the crash. The boat was headed to the United States when it flipped over in October after the crash near Bahía Honda, about two hours from the capital of Havana. the boat, which was made to hold six people, was carrying up to 26, according to state media CubaDebate and CubaVision, which gave a details of the government's version of events this week. The government account comes after some survivors of the crash, family members and people on social media accused the coast guard of ramming the migrants' boat. Cuba is facing one of the biggest mass migrations in decades, spurred by compounding and deepening crises.