Missing aid sailboats bound for Cuba located by Mexico, crew safe

Two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid from Mexico to Cuba that had gone missing have been located by the Mexican Navy and their crews are safe, a spokesman for the Nuestra America Convoy said on Saturday.“The vessels are continuing their journey to Havana,” a spokesman told Reuters. “The Convoy remains on track to complete its mission — delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Cuban people.”The two boats are part of a broader grassroots effort to deliver food, medicine, baby formula and other supplies to Cuba.The sailboats departed from Mexico’s Isla Mujeres last Saturday and were expected to arrive in Havana between March 24 and 25.

The convoy is part of a wider aid mission to Cuba amid a US blockade on shipments of oil and other supplies that has worsened power outages and led the state to ration services.Confusion over the boats’ whereabouts had emerged earlier after the US Coast Guard initially told French news agency AFP on Friday that the vessels had been found, but later withdrew the statement and said a search was still underway.The Nuestra America coalition, or Our America in Spanish, includes nearly 300 organizations from more than 30 countries, including non-governmental groups, unions, political parties and lawmakers.The group has already delivered around 20 tons of aid to Cuba by air and sea, including food, medicine, solar panels and bicycles.