Two sailing boats that went missing while carrying humanitarian aid from Mexico to Cuba have safely reached the Caribbean island, the US Coast Guard confirmed on Friday. The vessels were part of the Our America convoy organized by the left-wing Progressive International.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel had earlier expressed 'deep concern' over the fate of the nine people believed to be on board, stating his country was doing everything possible to search for them. The boats had set sail from Quintana Roo last Friday and were expected in Havana by midweek.
The US Coast Guard, which was not involved in search efforts, reported at 10.36am local time that the two vessels had safely transited to Cuba. The Mexican navy had activated search-and-rescue protocols after the boats failed to arrive on time.
The convoy aimed to deliver critical humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, and highlight Cuba's plight amid a US oil blockade that has worsened the island's crisis. Organisers said the blockade aims to 'starve the Cuban people into submission.'
The mission included activists from 30 countries, among them former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Spain's former deputy prime minister Pablo Iglesias, and the Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap. Corbyn condemned the 'criminal blockade' in an article for Novara Media.
