Mexico says two aid boats en route to Cuba are missing

Mexican naval forces have launched a search-and-rescue mission in the Caribbean after two sailboats carrying humanitarian supplies to Cuba failed to reach Havana as planned.

The navy said the vessels departed from Isla Mujeres, in the state of Quintana Roo, last week en route to Havana with nine crew members of various nationalities aboard.

Officials had expected the boats to arrive between 24 and 25 March, but the navy reported there has been no contact with the crews and no confirmation that the ships reached their destination.

The missing sailboats were part of a grassroots relief effort aimed at a Cuba grappling with recurring power outages and a worsening economic crisis amid tighter U.S. restrictions on oil and other imports.

Volunteers in Mexico recently loaded the boats with rice, baby wipes, beans, baby formula, medicine and other essentials as part of the “Nuestra America Convoy,” a non-governmental initiative organizing deliveries of food, medical supplies and energy-related items to the island.

“The captains and crews are experienced sailors, and both vessels are equipped with appropriate safety systems and signalling equipment,” a convoy spokesperson told Reuters.

“We are cooperating fully with the authorities and remain confident in the crews’ ability to reach Havana safely.”

Mexico’s navy added that it has established contact with maritime rescue coordination centres in Poland, France, Cuba and the United States, and has notified the diplomatic representatives of the countries of origin of those on board.