Mexican fishermen vanished at sea. 5 days later, rescuers found them in a cooler

Two Mexican fishermen were rescued after surviving nearly five days at sea inside a cooler when their boat sank off Chiapas. The operation involving boats, aircraft and the Navy ended with both men receiving treatment for severe dehydration.Mexican fishermen vanished at sea. 5 days later, rescuers found them in a cooler (Photo: Representational Image from Pexels)Two Mexican fishermen survived nearly five days at sea by taking shelter inside a cooler after their fishing boat sank off the coast of Chiapas, according to a report by The New York Post.Daniel Guerrero Martnez, 53, and his friend Jos Luis Portelas Villegas, 32, had set out from the fishing town of Paredón aboard their boat, Camaronera, last Thursday. The pair lost contact the following day after the vessel sank, triggering a search operation.As the search widened, boats were first sent to retrace the fishermen’s likely route. An aircraft was later brought in to scan a larger stretch of the Pacific Ocean, while Mexico’s Navy also joined the operation.Five days after the fishermen disappeared, rescuers finally spotted them about 150 miles off the coast of Chiapas. They were found floating in the open ocean, crammed inside a cooler that had apparently helped keep them afloat. The NY Post reported that Martnez and Villegas had gone without food or water during the ordeal as they desperately tried to survive at sea.Rescue personnel eventually pulled the two men out of the cooler and brought them aboard. They were then taken for medical treatment after suffering from severe dehydration. Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy credited the coordinated search involving ships, interceptor boats and aircraft with helping locate the fishermen and bring them back safely.The dramatic rescue received a whole lot of attention online, with images showing the two fishermen being pulled from the cooler in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean. Their survival after spending days stranded at sea has left social media users stunned.- EndsPublished By: Yashna TalwarPublished On: Aug 21, 2026 13:35 IST