A extensive search and rescue effort is currently in progress in the Caribbean region for a pair of missing sailboats loaded with relief goods journeying from Mexico to the island of Cuba.
Mexico has deployed navy personnel and reconnaissance aircraft to search for the Friendship and Tigger Moth, which were transporting a minimum of nine total personnel, according to a navy statement.
The vessels had been projected to make landfall in Havana on Tuesday or Wednesday, but there has been radio silence from them and no official word of their safe arrival, the navy said.
The island nation has depended significantly on aid convoys from Mexico over the past few weeks, as the island struggles through widespread nationwide blackouts.
"Both captains and crews are experienced sailors, and the two ships are equipped with appropriate safety systems and communication devices," a spokesperson associated with the mission commented.
The nine individuals on board are citizens of Poland, France, Cuba and the US. Mexican authorities said it has established contact with maritime rescue coordination centres from each country along with their consular staff.
"Our team is collaborating completely with the authorities and continue to be hopeful in the ability of the crews to safely arrive in Havana," the official further stated.
Earlier in the week, the Cuban government widely celebrated and greeted with fanfare a different ship that had carried 14 tonnes of relief supplies to the nation.
That boat, dubbed "a new Granma" after the vessel in which Castro landed in Cuba to launch the revolution in the 1950s, carried solar equipment, drugs, baby formula, bikes and foodstuffs.
Volunteers and NGOs have been at the forefront of initiatives to ship critical assistance to Cuba since January, when a oil sanctions on the island nation came into effect.
The United Nations have since raised alarms about ""critical" supply shortages, with more than fifty thousand surgical procedures postponed in Cuba because of energy rationing.
Diplomatic measures have intensified over the past months, with remarks from several leaders emphasizing the complicated state of bilateral relations.
Responding to certain comments, a senior government figure stated firmly that "the political system of Cuba is non-negotiable."
Accounts suggest that preliminary steps of discussions commenced, although their ongoing development remains uncertain.
The Mexican navy affirmed it was pledged to using all of the resources at its command to discover the boats and ensure the well-being of the people on board.
To date, there has been no public statement on the lost ships by the government in Havana.
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