El Nuevo Herald, the Spanish-language sister publication of the Miami Herald, said a long cigarette boat known as a "go-fast" set off from the coastal town of Santa Cruz del Norte, in Havana province between Thursday and Friday night.

Reports differed as to what happened next.

Some relatives of people on the boat said it was being chased by the Cuban coast guard, and then hit a reef. Others said the passengers began fighting among themselves, and the boat capsized, throwing everyone into the water.

Another person told the newspaper there had been three survivors.

Some of the reports came from family members interviewed from Cuba by telephone.

Cuban authorities had not reported the incident or any fatalities by Wednesday night, but one Tampa, Fla., man said he was told by his mother that his brother's body had been delivered to her after the incident and had already been buried.