Mexican Navy Rescues 10 Cuban Rafters Drifting South of Isla Mujeres

Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo — Mexican Navy personnel rescued 10 Cuban men found adrift in a frail wooden boat 12 nautical miles south of Isla Mujeres, one of whom was suffering from dehydration after several days crossing the Caribbean in harsh conditions.

According to the Mexican Navy (Semar), the operation began after a cruise ship spotted the drifting raft and reported it. A Defender-class vessel launched from the Search and Rescue Station (ENSAR) in Isla Mujeres and located the small wooden boat during the night, still lit by the cruise ship’s lights. The crew maneuvered alongside and brought the 10 men aboard the official vessel.

The men were taken to the Fifth Naval Region base and then to the Advanced Naval Station in Puerto Juárez, where Naval Health staff examined them. One man was treated for dehydration. All 10 were then handed over to the National Migration Institute (INM), which will determine their immigration status.

The arrival of Cuban rafts on the Cancún coastline is nothing new. For decades, fishermen, sailors, Isla Mujeres residents and tourists have witnessed boats reaching shore, sometimes with people still on board — though most manage to get to land and slip away, leaving behind only the crude rafts in which they left their country in search of a better future.