Missing aid boats land in Cuba after being located by Mexican navy

Two sailboats that went missing carrying humanitarian aid from southern Mexico to Cuba landed in Havana on Saturday afternoon hours after Mexico's navy said it had located them days after they went incommunicado because of bad weather.

HAVANA — Two sailboats that went missing carrying humanitarian aid from southern Mexico to Cuba landed in Havana on Saturday afternoon hours after Mexico's navy said it had located them days after they went incommunicado because of bad weather.

The vessels, carrying at least eight people, departed from Isla Mujeres in southern Mexico on March 20 and then lost contact, fueling concern in Mexico, Cuba and beyond.

In a post on X on Saturday morning, the navy said an aircraft spotted the boats 80 nautical miles northwest of Havana, Cuba. Upon arriving to the island, Adnaan Stumo, the coordinator of the sailing convoy, said bad weather was responsible for the delay.

He thanked Mexico's navy for its support and for making sure they were OK, and said they were "delighted" to start delivering aid to Cubans on the island.

""We arrive with a simple but powerful message: solidarity with the Cuban people doesn't stop at borders. It crosses oceans," Stumo, a U.S. citizen, said. "Over the past week, our sailboats encountered difficult conditions at sea, during which we lost contact with convoy coordinators and maritime authorities alike."