Isla Mujeres, Q.R. — Two men onboard a missing vessel from Key West to Isla Mujeres have been reported found alive. A search began for the men after the Isla Mujeres Harbor Master’s Office issued a lost at sea alert.
The pair, both from the island of Cozumel, set sail from Key West, Florida August 20. The men were scheduled to arrive at Isla Mujeres August 22, but did not. Air and sea searches failed to locate the missing men.
The pair were rescued by a cargo ship in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday night after running out of fuel. Captains Jorge Arcadio Aragón Aceves and Ricardo Argaez Jiménez were rescued by the passing ship approximately half way into their journey.
The Navy launched an intensive search operation using an interceptor patrol boat, a Defender vessel from the Isla Mujeres Maritime Search, Rescue and Surveillance Station (ENSAR), and an aircraft equipped with tracking technology after issuing a lost at sea alert for the men.
The operation also included the collaboration of the United States Coast Guard and the Cuban government who authorized overflights in their respective zone, however, it was the crew of a cargo ship who located the missing captains on Monday. Both men were found still on their vessel that had stalled due to a lack of fuel.
The men recorded a short video late Monday confirming their rescue. “We were close to Isla Mujeres, very close but we ran out of gas, and from there we drifted about 220 miles. But we’re fine,” said Jorge Arcadio Aragón Aceves. The Navy of Mexico is scheduled to meet the cargo vessel early Tuesday to return the men to the island.
