A Cuban woman who on Wednesday had posted a heartbreaking video pleading for help to find her daughter Naomi Álvarez Ramírez, who had been missing for over a week in the waters of Mexico, reappeared on social media with an emotional message of relief and gratitude after learning about her rescue.
The contrast between the two publications could not be more striking.
Just a day earlier, the woman -identified on social media as "Sol Chango"- described her torment.
"I feel shattered, I feel like I'm collapsing. It's anguish, it's a nightmare that I am living," she said through tears.
However, fortunately, in just a few hours his tone changed dramatically.
“I am happy, very happy, and grateful”, she wrote in the Facebook group where she had previously asked for help.
"Thanks to the Mexican government, thanks to the Mexican Navy, I am very grateful. I also want to thank everyone around the world, friends, dear family, and my people on Facebook."
Her gratitude also extended to those who kept the search alive through the media.
"Thanks to the reporters from all the news outlets who provided a lot of information about my daughter. In any case, I am grateful because, in one way or another, they contributed to the rescue of my beautiful daughter, my little girl. My heart is already happy; as a mother, my heart can finally beat again," she concluded.
Nine days of silence and despair
The vessel had departed on August 11 from the Cuyo area in Pinar del Río, with 12 adults and seven minors on board, heading to Mexico. The last communication from Sol Chango with her daughter was that same day at 4:22 PM.
In her Wednesday video, the woman made a desperate plea: "I am a mother who is completely desperate, I am desperate for my daughter. Please, I beg the authorities in Mexico to do everything possible."
She also revealed that Naomi's supplies were scarce: "I'm really worried because the food she had was only for a few days. I hope those who are there have shared a little piece, a bit of water for my daughter, because I don’t want my daughter to die of dehydration, I don’t want that."
She even questioned the speed of the official response: "I see that search is moving very slowly; they should search the coasts, they should search everywhere. I implore that government of Mexico, I plead as a desperate mother that I am. I'm dying, I'm dying of desperation."
The rescue that restored hope
The Mexican Navy (SEMAR) located the vessel on Thursday near the jurisdiction of the Ninth Naval Zone in Yucatán. A source from the institution confirmed to the AFP agency: "They have already retrieved the Cubans. They are on their way to the Naval Command."
Among the rescued minors were the twins Leosdel and Leosniel, who are only two years old, traveling with their mother Yusimy Garrobo Leiva.
His father, Leobel, had been working in Mexico for nearly a year waiting to reunite with his family and had described his anguish: "I can't sleep or eat; all I'm having is soda, nothing more. I sleep with the phone right there on the bed."
The vessel had experienced engine failures and lost fuel due to an accidental spill when it was already past the halfway point of the journey, forcing the boatman to attempt to continue under sail.
A drama amidst the migration crisis
The case arises at a time of extreme migration risk for Cuba.
Just days before the rescue, on August 14, two young rafters drowned in the waters of Sandino, also in Pinar del Río: Leodannis Sánchez, 17, and Osmaikel, 19, when their boat capsized while heading to Cancún.
Related videos:
Filed under: