Fishermen Survive Five Days Drift on Cooler After Boat Sinks

Two fishermen survived five days adrift in the Pacific Ocean by clinging to a cool box without food or water before being rescued. Daniel Guerrero Martinez, fifty-three years old, and Jose Luis Portela Villegas, thirty-two, reached safety thanks to Mexican Navy personnel on August 19 near Tonala, Chiapas. They vanished during a fishing trip from a small town bordering Guatemala after their vessel, the Camaronera, sank in rough seas. Their final radio contact occurred on August 14 before they climbed into the onboard cooler for refuge once the boat went down. A distress call followed when a fishing cooperative lost track of them and alerted authorities. The Navy launched an extensive operation using surface ships, interceptor boats, and aircraft to cover vast Pacific waters. Rescue teams also sent other vessels to retrace their exact path in hopes of finding the missing pair. Locating them proved difficult until they were found roughly 130 nautical miles from the Chiapas coast. That distance equals approximately 240.76 kilometers out at sea where naval ocean patrol vessels carried out the daring rescue mission. Footage captured the men leaning against blue sides of that cooler as they remained afloat in open water. Medical teams assessed their condition immediately before airlifting them via helicopter to hospitals for treatment of severe dehydration. Judith Torres Vera, Secretary of Chiapas Fisheries and Aquaculture, confirmed their safe return to waiting relatives with joy. She stated clearly, 'We have just been informed that Daniel and José Luis have appeared,' adding they were very happy colleagues had survived. Authorities later launched an investigation claiming bad weather and strong winds caused the boat to drift far out into the sea. A Navy statement noted two fishermen who stayed adrift on a cooler for five days were located more than 240 kilometres from shore. The coordinated deployment allowed rescuers to expand their search, locate the men, bring them home, and reunite them with families in Paredon. That coastal village in Chiapas welcomed the pair back after such a harrowing ordeal at sea.