Two Cuban rafters rescued on a board with barrels near Mexico

The Mexican Navy rescued two Cuban rafters in the state of Quintana Roo who were traveling on an improvised raft made with a wooden plank and several plastic drums tied together.

According to a press release issued by the Mexican Navy, the events occurred on Friday when the Regional Captaincy of Puerto Juárez communicated with the Command and Control Center of the Ninth Naval Region to report a small boat with two men on board that was about to sink due to a leak, 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) north of Isla Mujeres.

Faced with the emergency, the Coast Guard Uxmal (PC-335) set sail immediately to cover the long distance and rescue the crew members, as reported by the media outlet Cambio22-Isla mujeres on Facebook.

It details that the rafters were found floating on a board and some barrels, 100 nautical miles (185 kilometers) north of Isla Mujeres, displaced by ocean currents.

The sailors managed to rescue the shipwrecked individuals and transport them aboard the Coast Guard vessel to a safe harbor.

The rescue vessel with the undocumented immigrants arrived at the dock of the Ninth Naval Region of Isla Mujeres during the night.

In the facilities, the rafters were attended to by health personnel, but they were in good condition.

Subsequently, they were made available to the immigration authorities for the corresponding procedures.

Several weeks ago, Mexican authorities rescued four Cubans with severe signs of dehydration who had been lost at sea for 34 days.

The Cubans were found by fishermen from the fishing village of San Fernando, in front of the Boca de Catán Bar, in the state of Tamaulipas, in northern Mexico; and some were in critical condition.

The provided information also detailed that there were four other Cubans on board, but they were already deceased, "victims of hunger, thirst, and hypothermia as they had been stranded for several days and only clinging to pieces of the raft they used to sail from Cuba in an attempt to reach the shores of the United States," Mexican media report.

In their statements, they said they left Cuba on April 1st, on a makeshift boat made of sheets and pieces of wood. Along the way, their rudder broke, getting lost in the open sea.

During the time they were at sea, they suffered from strong storms with waves exceeding five and six meters in height; during the storms, four Cubans fell into the water and also died.