Two Fishermen Found Adrift on a Floating Cooler After 5 Days at Sea Following Distress Call

Two fishermen were rescued and are now safe after being adrift at sea for five days together inside a cooler.

The Mexican Navy shared details of the incredible rescue of the two fishermen, who they did not identify but said were 53 and 32 years old. According to a press release, the duo was found after an extensive search effort off the coast of the state of Chiapas following a distress call received from the staff of their fishing cooperative requesting support. The duo set sail aboard a vessel called “Camaronera” and last communicated on August 14.

The Secretariat of the Navy expanded the search after efforts to retrace the fishermen’s path proved unsuccessful. Through the use of aircraft, they were able to cover a larger area more efficiently and found the men some 130 nautical miles away, floating in an empty blue cooler, completely adrift.

Once they were located by aircraft, the Mexican Navy deployed a boat to retrieve them. They got a medical evaluation in the field and were quickly taken by helicopter to port, where they received medical attention and were finally reunited with their families.

Photos and video released on the Mexican Navy’s X account show the moment the duo was rescued as well as the small cooler they managed to stay in for five days without any food or water on the vast open sea. It’s unclear what happened to the vessel they embarked on or how they managed to find sanctuary in the small cooler.

“With these actions, the Mexican Navy, through its Secretariat of the Navy, reaffirms its commitment to the public to safeguard human life at sea and to provide support to those in danger in national waters,” the press release reads.