MEXICO CITY, March 26 (Reuters) - Mexico's navy said on Thursday it had activated a search-and-rescue operation in the ​Caribbean to locate two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba ‌after the vessels failed to arrive in Havana as scheduled.

In a statement, the navy said the two boats left Isla Mujeres, in the Mexican Caribbean state ​of Quintana Roo, last week bound for Havana with nine ​crew members of different nationalities on board.

The vessels had ⁠been expected to arrive between March 24 and 25, but there ​had been no communication from them and no confirmation of their arrival, ​the navy said.