They were floating more than 160 kilometers off the coast of Chiapas, without food or water, inside a fishing cooler.
That is how two Mexican fishermen, aged 53 and 32, spent five days after their vessel was disabled in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It all began on August 14, when a fishing cooperative lost contact with them and raised the alarm. The Mexican Navy deployed a sea-and-air search operation that continued for days, until it finally located them alive, rocking among the waves inside the turquoise cooler that kept them afloat.
A video released by the Navy shows the exact moment when rescuers approach them. One of the fishermen later said that, during those five days, they did not believe they would survive: they could only pray and wait. Both were transported by helicopter to receive medical attention before reuniting with their families.
