March 27, New Delhi – Mexico's navy announced on Thursday that it had initiated a search and rescue operation in the Caribbean to locate two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba after they failed to arrive in Havana as scheduled.
In a statement, the navy said the two vessels departed from Isla Mujeres in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo last week, bound for Havana with nine crew members of different nationalities on board.
The boats were expected to arrive between March 24 and 25, but there has been no communication from them and no confirmation of their arrival.
The two missing sailboats are part of a broader grassroots aid effort for energy-starved Cuba, which has been facing prolonged power outages and a deepening economic crisis.
Mexico has also established contact with 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.