Two Separate Cuba-bound Aid Ships Declared Lost after Departing Mexico.
A large-scale search and rescue effort is currently in progress in the Caribbean region for a pair of lost sailboats transporting humanitarian supplies journeying from the Mexican coast to the island of Cuba.
Military Search and Rescue Operations Deployed
Authorities in Mexico has dispatched naval teams and military search aircraft to find the two vessels, which were transporting no fewer than nine sailors, according to a military release.
The ships had been projected to make landfall in Havana on either Tuesday or Wednesday, but there has been radio silence from them and no official word of their arrival, authorities reported.
The Situation of Humanitarian Support to Cuba
The island nation has depended significantly on Mexico's over the last several weeks, as the island grapples with widespread power outages across the country.
"Both skippers and their teams are seasoned mariners, and both vessels are equipped with suitable safety systems and communication devices," a spokesperson for the convoy commented.
The nine-person crew are from the United States, Cuba, France, and Poland. Mexico said it has opened communications with rescue coordination centers from each country along with their embassy officials.
"The group is collaborating completely with the authorities and remain confident in the capability of the sailors to make it to Cuba without incident," the official further stated.
Recent Humanitarian Delivery
Earlier in the week, the Cuban authorities publicly celebrated and warmly received another boat that had delivered 14 tonnes of relief supplies to the country.
That ship, nicknamed "a modern Granma" following the name of the boat in which Fidel Castro landed in Cuba to start the revolution in the 1950s, delivered solar equipment, pharmaceuticals, infant formula, bikes and provisions.
Wider International Context
Non-governmental organizations and volunteers have been at the forefront of initiatives to bring critical assistance to Cuba since January, a period which saw a oil sanctions on the island nation began.
The United Nations have since highlighted ""critical" shortages of supplies, with more than 50k surgical procedures postponed in Cuba because of electricity supply constraints.
Foreign policy tensions have intensified over the past months, with statements from various leaders underscoring the complicated situation regarding diplomatic ties.
Reacting to certain comments, a high-ranking government figure declared that "the socialist system of Cuba is not subject to discussion."
Reports suggest that early stages of talks had begun, although their current progress remains uncertain.
The Mexican navy affirmed it was pledged to using all of the resources at its command to find the vessels and guarantee the security of the people on board.
At this time, there has been silence on the lost ships by the Cuban government.