SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS, Mexico (AP) -- Two ships carrying more
                 than 400 illegal Ecuadorean migrants to the United States were captured off
                 the coast of southernmost Chiapas state late Thursday, authorities said.

                 The Mexican navy found the vessels "Jackpot" and "Roland," which both left
                 Ecuador on May 1, drifting aimlessly 20 miles (30 kilometers) off the coastal city
                 of Puerto Madero, said Carlos Martinez, a spokesman for naval forces in Chiapas.

                 Martinez said both ships apparently suffered problems with their steering
                 mechanisms and were unable to maintain a steady course toward U.S. waters.

                 He said that those onboard told authorities that both ships ran out of water on
                 Monday and were running dangerously low on food.

                 Most of the migrants were suffering from varying stages of serious dehydration.
                 They were ferried by navy vessels to shore for treatment late Thursday, Martinez
                 said.

                 Authorities planned to tow both ships to shore Friday.

                  Copyright 2002 The Associated Press.