Mexican Navy locates missing aid sailboats bound for Cuba

Two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid from Mexico to Cuba were located by the Mexican Navy and their crews were safe after they had gone missing for several days, according to Mexican officials and convoy organizers on Saturday (March 28).

A maritime surveillance aircraft spotted the vessels on Friday about 80 nautical miles, or 148 km, northwest of Cuba, according to a Mexican navy statement. Handout images released by Mexico's Secretaria de Marina showed one of the sailboats at sea, navy medical personnel boarding the vessel, and crew members receiving medical checks, including vital sign monitoring.

The crews said they were in good health but had been delayed by unfavorable weather conditions, especially adverse winds, according to the navy. The navy added that a Mexican naval ship was escorting the two vessels to help ensure their safe arrival in Havana. A spokesman for the Nuestra America Convoy told Reuters that the boats were continuing their journey to the Cuban capital and that the mission to deliver humanitarian aid remained on track.

The two sailboats had departed from Isla Mujeres last Saturday and had been expected to reach Havana between March 24 and March 25. According to organizers, the convoy sought to bring food, medicine, baby formula and other supplies to Cuba, where shortages and power outages have worsened. The Nuestra America coalition, which includes nearly 300 organizations from more than 30 countries, has already delivered about 20 tons of aid to the island by air and sea, according to organizers.

Production: Rodolfo Pena Roja, Hugo Monnet/Reuters