A 30-year-old Cuban woman identified as Nanci came close to losing her life on Saturday at a beach in the state of Chiapas when she was swept away by sea currents along with a Honduran woman named Yomars, according to local press.
The incident occurred on the morning of Sunday, August 30, at San Benito beach in Tapachula.
Both were rescued alive thanks to the intervention of municipal police from the Municipal Public Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat (SSPyPCM) of that city, who were conducting preventive patrols in the area when they received the emergency alert.
The rescue
The incident occurred around 11:20 AM near the palapa known as "El Pelón," a popular spot for bathers in that coastal area.
It was other beachgoers who raised the alarm upon noticing that the two women were having serious difficulties staying afloat.
"Without wasting time, the agents entered the water to assist them and managed to bring them to safety on solid ground, where they were out of danger," reported a local source.
Once on the shore, personnel from the Mexican Navy provided them with care and first aid.
Both women survived without any serious consequences for their health being reported.
"The timely intervention of the municipal police prevented the incident from ending in a tragedy," authorities emphasized.
A beach with a history of rescues
Playa San Benito is considered one of the most dangerous on the Chiapas coast due to its rip currents and the strong waves that characterize the area.
Just twelve days earlier, a 17-year-old Cuban teenager was swept away by a rip current at the same beach, in the area known as "The Surfer's Spot," and had to be rescued by municipal lifeguards and a member of the Navy Secretariat.
During Holy Week in 2026, authorities reported at least five rescues on the beaches of Soconusco, three of which involved migrants, including a 28-year-old Cuban in the area of Ventana 1 in San Benito.
The areas of greatest risk identified by the authorities are the so-called "windows," particularly Window 2 and Window 3, where surveillance has been intensified.
For the Summer Lifesaving Operation 2026, active from June 29 to August 29, the Secretary of the Navy deployed 78 personnel on the beaches of Tapachula.
The migratory context
Tapachula hosts one of the largest populations of stranded Cuban migrants in Mexico, with journalistic estimates ranging between 10,000 and 25,000 people in the city during 2026.
The locality serves as a waiting and transit point on the migration route to the northern part of the country and the United States.
In recent months, the arrival of Cubans deported from U.S. territory has further increased their presence in the region.
Many of these migrants, without jobs or resources, frequent the beaches of Soconusco while waiting for an opportunity to continue their journey.
Call to exercise extreme caution
After the rescue on Saturday, the SSPyPCM issued a call to bathers and visitors to exercise extreme caution on the beaches of the municipality.
Authorities reminded that "red flags indicate dangerous conditions for entering the sea" and urged people to avoid going into the water when that signal is visible.
They also recommended not to enter the sea after consuming alcoholic beverages and to always follow the instructions from security and rescue personnel to reduce the risk of accidents.
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