“I am happy. All I want is to see my children”. With those words, Leobel, the father of the Cuban twins Leosdel and Leosniel, aged two, reacted after receiving the news that the little ones were rescued alive along with other Cuban migrants after drifting for several days in the waters of the Mexican Caribbean.
The Cuban, who has been living in Cancun for almost a year, spoke with journalist Mario Vallejo from Cancun shortly after learning the outcome of a journey that kept several families on edge since August 11.
The relief, however, did not immediately put an end to his anguish.
Although Mexican authorities had reported that the occupants of the vessel were safe, Leobel stated that he still had not been able to speak to his children or see them.
"The only thing I want is to see my children."
Leobel explained that he received the news while he was in Cancún with family members of other occupants of the vessel.
According to the account, he first received a message with information about the rescue, and later the authorities from the Navy confirmed that the group had been located and would be transported to Yucatán.
"I am happy", he stated upon learning that his family was alive.
His main concern at that moment was to be able to establish contact with them. “They say they are fine, but we haven’t been able to talk to them. We don’t know anything else,” he explained.
“What I want is to see them, to see my children. I want them to let me see them because I still haven’t been able to do so,” the Cuban pleaded.
Due to the impossibility of meeting with them immediately, Leobel stated that even a phone call would have been enough to reassure the family: “Even if it's just a call. We want to know how they are.”
His wife, Yusimy Garrobo Leiva, 35 years old, was traveling with the twins Leosdel and Leosniel.
The family is from Vertientes, Camagüey, while Leobel had been working in construction in Cancun for almost a year, waiting to reunite with them.
Relatives were waiting for answers in Cancún
Leobel was not the only family member waiting for news. Next to him was Yunaidy Martínez Ramírez, a Cuban resident in Cancun, whose husband was traveling on the vessel with their three young daughters.
“We are all here together, but they haven't told us anything or allowed us to see them,” Leobel explained about the situation facing the families after the rescue was confirmed.
According to their testimony, they had also tried to obtain information from the National Institute of Migration (INM), but up to that point, they had not received any answers.
"We have called Immigration and they haven't given us any information either. All we want to know is if they are alright, how they are doing, or to be able to speak with them even if it's just by phone.", she pointed out.
During the days of uncertainty, other family members had also publicly turned to the media and social networks to ask for help.
The 19 Cubans who were adrift have been rescued
The Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico (SEMAR) confirmed on Thursday that the 19 Cubans found adrift in the waters of Yucatán, 12 adults and seven minors, had been rescued.
A source from the institution confirmed to the agency AFP: "The Cubans have been recovered. They are on their way to the Naval Command."
The news ended days of uncertainty for the families, who had been seeking help to locate their loved ones since the disappearance of the vessel.
During the search, Leobel had previously described to Vallejo the desperation he was experiencing.
"Neither sleeping nor eating. The only thing I'm drinking is soda, nothing more," he stated at that time, when he was still unaware of the whereabouts of his wife and two children.
"Thank you very much to everyone who has supported us."
Leobel thanked the people who followed the case and assisted the family during the days of the search.
“Thank you very much to you and to everyone who has supported us,” he expressed during his conversation with Vallejo.
Despite the relief of knowing that his wife and children had survived, he insisted on needing to contact them to personally see how they were doing.
“The only thing we ask is to be allowed to see them or talk to them on the phone to know how they are doing. We remain worried because we still haven't been able to speak with them,” he concluded.
Ten days of uncertainty after leaving Cuba
The vessel had set sail around 2:00 p.m. on August 11 from the Cuyo area in Pinar del Río, with 19 Cubans on board.
The last communication took place about three and a half hours after departure.
According to the information provided by the family during the search, the engine experienced issues, and the vessel lost fuel due to an accidental spill after having traveled more than halfway through the journey.
The person in charge of sailing it attempted to continue the journey using a sail.
The supplies for the 19 occupants were scarce: two boxes of water, cookies, a box of soda, two boxes of juice, and two boxes of milk.
The disappearance had triggered an intense mobilization of family members, who from Cuba and Mexico spread photographs and information about the travelers and requested help to locate the vessel.
The case has once again highlighted the dangers of maritime crossings undertaken by Cubans to leave the island.
Days before the rescue, the young Leodannis Sánchez, 17, and his partner Osmaikel, 19, drowned in the waters of Sandino, Pinar del Río, after the boat they were trying to use to travel to Cancun sank near Las Martinas.
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