MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥� Mexico’s Navy searched for a second day for two missing sailboats carrying nine people bound for with humanitarian aid, officials told The Associated Press on Friday.
The announcement came after reports that the ships had been found by the U.S. Coast Guard. Mexican authorities said Thursday the vessels departed from Isla Mujeres in southern Mexico on March 20.
The disappearance comes as an increasing number of countries and aid organizations as a U.S. fuel blockade causes crippling blackouts and . The loss of contact with the vessels has fueled concern in Cuba, Mexico and beyond.
鈥淔rom our country, we are doing everything possible in the search and rescue of these brothers in struggle,鈥� wrote in a social media post on Friday.
Despite reports that the ships had been found by the U.S. Coast Guard, Mexico’s Navy said authorities have received no communication or confirmation of the vessels鈥� arrival in Cuba. The U.S. Coast Guard told AP they were not involved in search efforts.
On Friday, the organization Nuestra Am茅rica Convoy, said that based on the speed of the vessels reported to the Cuban maritime authorities, the window of arrival for the boats in Havana should be between Friday and Saturday. The organization made an open call for any information or sightings of the boats.
The captains and crews are experienced sailors, and both vessels are equipped with appropriate safety systems and signaling equipment.
“We are cooperating fully with the authorities and remain confident in the crews鈥� ability to reach Havana safely,” the organization said in a statement.
A first vessel from the Convoy Nuestra Am茅rica, carrying 14 tons of food and medicine, 73 solar panels and about a dozen bicycles, arrived in Havana on Tuesday.
As part of the search efforts, the Mexican navy alerted naval commands in Isla Mujeres and Yucalpet茅n, as well as naval search, rescue and surveillance stations. It also worked with maritime rescue coordination centers in Poland, France, Cuba and the United States, along with diplomatic representatives from the countries of origin of those on board.
Search operations involve navy vessels and Persuader-type aircraft, which are carrying out maritime and aerial search patterns along the estimated route between Isla Mujeres and Havana. The efforts take into account possible course changes, as well as prevailing weather conditions and ocean currents in the region.
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