Daniel Guerrero Martínez and José Luis Pórtelas, aged 53 and 32 respectively, spent five days adrift in open sea clinging to a cooler until the Mexican Navy rescued them on Wednesday. The fishermen, residents of the municipality of Tonalá, Chiapas, on Mexico's southwestern coast, showed signs of dehydration after going without food during that period.
According to accounts they gave to local media, a strong wave hit their vessel in the early hours of Saturday and caused it to sink. The two men tried to rescue some belongings, but within seconds they found themselves adrift, sustained only by a cooler and some jerrycans of petrol.
The Navy reported that it used a scheme known as "Trinomio" for the search, which combines an ocean patrol, an interceptor vessel and an aircraft to expand the search radius. The fishermen managed to attract the attention of the aircraft by waving a sack they had among their belongings. They had been carried to an area of the Pacific more than 240 kilometres from shore.
During the five days adrift, the fishermen had no access to drinking water or food. The lack of rain prevented them from even collecting water to relieve the dehydration caused by constant exposure to the sun. Martínez told local media after being rescued: "I thought I would never see my family again".
Both men are at home, reunited with their families, in the process of recovery. Mexican authorities confirmed the rescue, but have not disclosed a technical investigation into the sinking of the vessel.