16 Cuban Migrants Rescued Off Yucatán’s Coast

A fishing crew’s routine trip turned into a rescue operation this week after they spotted a small boat drifting roughly 10 nautical miles (18.5 kilometers) off Chicxulub Puerto, ending more than a week of uncertainty for the families of a group of Cuban migrants.

The crew of the Tigres del Mayab 3 found the vessel around 9 a.m. Thursday and gave its occupants food and water before radioing Mexico’s Secretaría de Marina (Semar). Naval officers dispatched a high-speed Defender-class boat from the Novena Zona Naval, based in Yucalpetén, and recovered the passengers, who were given medical checks and were reported stable. None required hospitalization.

The group had left Pinar del Río, on Cuba’s western tip, on Aug. 11, aiming for Mexico. According to relatives cited by Cuban outlets, the boat’s motor failed partway through the crossing, and the migrants eventually ran out of fuel and rigged a makeshift sail to keep moving. Family members lost contact with them days before the rescue and had grown increasingly worried after hearing the boat was low on supplies.

The exact number of people aboard remains unsettled. Semar’s official count is 16 — 12 adults and four minors. Family members and several Cuban media outlets put the total at 19, including seven children. Yucatán Magazine could not independently confirm which figure is accurate as of publication.

Leobel, the father of twin boys who were among those rescued, told a reporter he was relieved once he got word. “I’m happy. All I want is to see my children,” he says, though he was still waiting to speak directly with his wife and sons.

Photos and video released by Semar and first published by Excélsior show naval personnel approaching the small boat and helping its occupants aboard the rescue vessel. The migrants’ faces are blurred in the images. After the rescue, the group was taken to naval facilities before being handed over to Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Migración for standard immigration processing.

The crossing adds to a pattern of Cuban rafters attempting the roughly 200-kilometer (124-mile) stretch of open water between western Cuba and the Yucatán Peninsula, one of the closest points in Mexico to the island. Cuba has faced worsening fuel shortages and blackouts this year, which advocacy groups say has pushed more islanders toward risky sea and land routes out of the country. Just days before this group departed, another boat leaving Pinar del Río wrecked, killing two young passengers, according to independent Cuban media.

Marina confirmed the rescue location to the AFP wire service, noting the area’s proximity to Cuba makes it a frequent site for search-and-rescue operations involving migrant vessels.

Fast Facts

• Boat departed Pinar del Río, Cuba, on Aug. 11; found Aug. 20
• Location: about 10 nautical miles (18.5 km) off Chicxulub Puerto, Yucatán
• Semar’s official count: 16 people (12 adults, 4 minors)
• Some family members and Cuban media report 19 aboard (12 adults, 7 minors)
• Rescued by a Semar Defender-class vessel out of Yucalpetén
• All reported in stable condition; no hospitalizations
• Migrants turned over to Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Migración

With reporting from Excélsior, Euronews, OnCubaNews and Periódico Cubano

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