Two fishermen were found alive inside a cool box after spending five days adrift at sea.
Daniel Guerrero Martínez and José Luis Portelas Villegas set sail from Paredón, in Mexico’s Chiapas state, last Thursday (13 August) to fish in the Pacific Ocean.
They made their last radio contact on Friday (14 August), when they were around 120km (75 miles) from the coast.
READ MORE: Model, 24, found dead alongside boyfriend beneath rubble six days after deadly earthquake
After communication was lost and the fishermen failed to return, authorities deployed an aircraft to search the Pacific Ocean.
Three boats also set sail from Paredón to retrace their last known route, as reported by Need To Know.
But the searches yielded no results.
Five days later, on Wednesday (19 August), the fishermen, aged 53 and 32, were located alive by naval personnel.
They were found more than 130 nautical miles (150 miles) off the coast of Chiapas, having spent five days adrift at sea inside a cool box.
Naval medical personnel reportedly found that they were suffering from severe dehydration.
They were taken by helicopter to port, where they received medical attention before being handed over to their families in Paredón.
Authorities are now investigating what caused the men’s fishing boat to stray so far from their usual fishing route.
Initial reports suggest that wind and bad weather may have been key factors in causing the vessel to drift out to sea.
There is currently no information about whether the fishing boat sank, broke down, drifted away or was otherwise lost.
Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy said: “Two fishermen who spent five days adrift on a cool box were located and rescued by naval personnel more than 240km off the coast of Chiapas.
“The deployment of surface and air units under the Trinomio concept (ship–interceptor–aircraft) made it possible to expand the search, locate the fishermen, bring them to safety and reunite them with their families.”
READ MORE: Mum-of-two found dead in car boot after husband answers door with bloodstained shirt
