Six more people were injured and taken to the hospital, according to a statement from the ministry shared by the Cuban Embassy in the United States on X.
The boat, registered in Florida, U.S., was reportedly in Cuban waters one nautical mile off the islands of Cayo Falcones when the incident occurred on Wednesday morning, local time.
When a Cuban Coast Guard boat approached to identify the American boat, the people on board began shooting at the Cubans, according to the Interior Ministry. The Cuban commander was reportedly injured, and the Coast Guard returned fire, after which "four attackers on the foreign boat were killed."
Cuba's Interior Ministry further writes that, faced with the "current challenges" in the region, the country is determined to "protect its territorial waters."
"Investigations by competent authorities are continuing to fully clarify what happened," the ministry writes.
The firefight occurred amid heightened tensions between the United States and the communist-ruled island nation.
Cuba is suffering from an economic and energy crisis that has recently been exacerbated by the U.S. blockade of oil supplies from Venezuela - a blockade that Washington decided to ease on Wednesday.
