Two Cuba-Headed Relief Sailboats Reported Unaccounted For subsequent to Leaving Mexican Waters.

A comprehensive search and rescue mission is currently ongoing in the Caribbean waters for a duo of missing sailboats loaded with aid cargo en route from Mexico to the island of Cuba.

Military Rescue Operations Launched

Authorities in Mexico has deployed navy personnel and search planes to search for the two vessels, which were had on board no fewer than nine personnel, per a official statement.

The vessels had been projected to reach the Cuban capital on either Tuesday or Wednesday, but there has been no communication from them and zero verification of their docking, the statement clarified.

Background of Relief to the Island

The island nation has depended significantly on Mexico's over the past few weeks, as the island grapples with repeated nationwide blackouts.

"The crews and captains are experienced sailors, and each boat are equipped with suitable safety systems and emergency beacons," an official associated with the mission said.

The nine crew members are from Poland, France, Cuba and the US. Officials said it has established contact with maritime rescue coordination centres from the involved countries along with their diplomatic representatives.

"We are collaborating completely with the officials and are still optimistic in the capability of the sailors to make it to Cuba without incident," the spokesperson added.

Previous Relief Shipment

Just days before, the government in Havana publicly celebrated and greeted with fanfare another boat that had delivered a significant amount of donated goods to the nation.

That ship, nicknamed "a modern Granma" after the boat in which Castro came back to Cuba to begin the armed struggle in the 1950s, delivered photovoltaic panels, pharmaceuticals, formula milk, cycles and food.

Wider Political Backdrop

Volunteers and NGOs have been at the forefront of efforts to ship humanitarian aid to Cuba since January, coinciding with the time a fuel embargo on the Communist-run nation was initiated.

The United Nations have since warned of ""critical" shortages of supplies, with in excess of fifty thousand surgical procedures called off in Cuba amid electricity supply constraints.

Foreign policy tensions have increased over the past months, with remarks from different officials highlighting the delicate situation regarding diplomatic ties.

Responding to certain proposals, a prominent government figure declared that "the socialist system of Cuba is not up for negotiation."

Accounts suggest that initial phases of talks had begun, although their ongoing development remains unclear.

The naval forces said it was dedicated to using every available asset at its command to locate the sailboats and secure the safety of the sailors.

As of now, there has been silence on the disappeared vessels by the Cuban government.