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Plane used to search for missing Puerto Aventuras crew returning from Haiti humanitarian trip

Puerto Aventuras, Q.R. — A plane has joined in search efforts for a Puerto Aventuras boat that left Haiti four days ago. The 85-foot long Moi Guadalupe had set sail with four crew for Haiti loaded with humanitarian aid earlier in the month.

According to Enrique Ochoa, Emergency Coordinator of the Cancun International Rescue Brigade, the vessel left Puerto Aventuras for Haiti on September 11 at 1:35 p.m. with a load of aid.

On their return to Puerto Aventuras, they stopped at Jamaica on September 28 to refuel before the last leg to Mexico, but around 130 nautical miles from Cozumel, their satellite phone / GPS signal was lost.

Their last communication was at 12:38 p.m. local time. They were located east of the island of Cozumel, latitude 19 ° 47.4 ′ N and longitude: 084 ° 40.4 ′ W, added Ochoa.

Following Port Authority protocol, they waited 24-hours before beginning a search for Moi Guadalupe and her four crew.

On September 29, the Harbor Master issued a bulletin requesting assistance from all local vessels in locating the missing boat.

On Thursday, a plane was added to the search efforts along the Yucatan Canal where Moi Guadalupe was last known to have been.

“Four people came on the ship, the owner of the boat, the captain and two sailors. If they had a mechanical failure, they would be adrift in the Yucatan Canal and that is why efforts are focused on sweeping that area,” he said in a Radio Fórmula interview Friday.

“They were between Cozumel and Cuba. They had enough fuel and were in constant communication, which is what draws our attention because suddenly, contact with the boat was lost and also with the satellite phone,” he added.

The crew have been identified as Charly Carlin, Renzo Spasiano, Luis Alberto Spasiano and Denis Fernández Diaz.