Two humanitarian aid boats heading to Cuba have gone missing, Mexico says | Cuba
Mexico’s navy said Thursday it launched a search-and-rescue operation in the Caribbean to locate two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba after the ships failed to arrive in Havana as planned.
In the statement made by the Navy, it was stated that the two boats left Isla Mujeres in Mexico’s Caribbean state of Quintana Roo last week and set out for Havana with nine crew members of different nationalities on board.
The Navy said the ships were expected to arrive between March 24 and 25, but there was no communication from them or confirmation of their arrival.
The two missing boats are part of a broader grassroots relief effort for energy-starved Cuba, which faces prolonged power outages and a deepening economic crisis after the United States tightened its embargo on oil and other goods. A separate ship from the convoy arrived in Havana on Tuesday.
Last week, volunteers in Mexico loaded boats with rice, baby wipes, beans, baby food, medicine and other supplies as part of the “Nuestra America Convoy,” a nongovernmental initiative aimed at delivering food, medicine and energy-related goods to the island.
“The captains and crew are experienced sailors and both ships are equipped with appropriate security systems and signaling equipment,” a spokesman for the convoy told Reuters. he said. “We are cooperating fully with the authorities and are confident that the crew will arrive in Havana safely.”
Mexico also contacted maritime rescue coordination centers in Poland, France, Cuba and the United States, as well as diplomatic representatives of the countries of origin of those on board, the Navy said.
