Miracle at sea: Two fishermen survive a week on a cooler in the Pacific Ocean and are rescued

Two Mexican fishermen survived for nearly a week in the Pacific Ocean on an improvised raft made from a cooler and empty fuel containers, after their boat sank. They were located by the Mexican Navy 240 km off the coast of Chiapas, after signaling to a surveillance plane by waving a cloth. They were rescued dehydrated and suffering from sunburn, and were hospitalized.

Two Mexican fishermen, Daniel Guerrero Martínez (53) and José Luis Portela Villegas (52), survived for nearly a week in the Pacific Ocean after their fishing boat, "Cameronera," capsized and sank within less than five minutes on August 14, likely due to a strong wave and heavy winds. They improvised a raft from a blue cooler and empty fuel containers, and survived over 100 hours without food or fresh water. The fishing cooperative alerted authorities after losing contact, and the Mexican Navy launched a search and rescue operation using the "Trinomio" method (ship, patrol boat, and aircraft). They were eventually located after waving a piece of cloth at a surveillance plane. A patrol boat crew rescued them, and they were airlifted by helicopter to the port of Puerto Chiapas, received medical treatment, and were reunited with their families. Guerrero told the BBC that he thought he would not see his family again, and revealed that this is the third time he has survived a shipwreck, declaring his retirement from fishing.