A recreational yacht was engulfed by flames off the coast of Isla Mujeres this past Tuesday. All occupants were safely evacuated before the vessel was almost entirely consumed by the fire. A nearby passenger ship was able to douse the flames with seawater, according to reports from the Port Captaincy.
It's believed that a malfunction in the yacht's electrical system sparked the fire, leading to the disaster just 300 meters from Playa Centro. Thankfully, no lives were lost during the incident, confirmed Hugo Sanchez, Secretary of Government, who oversaw the firefighting operation. The operation was also supported by vessels from the Fifth Naval Region and the Port Captaincy.
The yacht's crew managed to escape unscathed, and multiple vessels were involved in the rescue operation.
Nautical service providers were the first to reach the scene, but were unable to save the yacht, which was equipped with two large outboard motors and had originated from Cancun. The port authority reported that they did not have comprehensive data on the vessel, and no crew members had come forward to give a statement to the Port Captaincy in the hours following the incident.
This incident marks the third of its kind in the past 15 years, with previous occurrences at Playa Norte and near the entrance to the Makax lagoon.
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