For Mildred Solar-Cortes, each day is heartbreaking. That's the desperation of a wife on edge.
"No words is enough to describe what I feel, said Mildred, whose husband, German Solar-Cortes disappeared along with 32 other crewmembers aboard the El Faro cargo ship. El Faro presumably sank in the Atlantic during Hurricane Joaquin.
"He is an experienced seaman," Solar-Cortes said of her husband. "I do believe in all my heart that he is still alive. They're just there still waiting out there. They need to be to be rescued."
Authorities say the capitain of the ship last reported its postition on October 1st. It's believed a mechanical failure caused it to drift into the path of Hurricane Joaquin and sink near the Bahamas.
The Coast Guard searched for six days before suspending the operation.
"We really need to reopen the search," insisted Claudia Solar-Cortes, German's sister. "It's a possibility that they could be out there."
German Solar-Cortes is 52 years old. He was working as an oiler on the El Faro. His wife said he loved the sea, and the water is where they met 29 years ago, aboard a cruise ship.
Local
Although the Coast Guard suspended the search, the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what happened. Specifically why El Faro sailed in the first place when there was a hurricane in sight.
