MONTEVIDEO – The Argentine father and son who went missing while boating off the Uruguayan resort town of Punta del Este were found save and sound by search teams and are now out of danger, authorities said Tuesday.

Officials with the Punta del Este port authority confirmed that the catamaran the two tourists were using had been swept off course by the wind and the pair drifted until they were found about 8 miles from Montevideo, where they were rescued and transported to a medical center.

The two men, ages 52 and 24, were seen for the last time late Monday afternoon near Gorriti Island, off Punta del Este and near the point where the River Plate estuary meets the Atlantic Ocean.

The Uruguayan navy received the report of the boat’s disappearance shortly after that and several vessels, a helicopter and an airplane from the air force participated in the search.

Also helping out in the search was a boat crewed by members of a volunteer rescue organization.

Thousands of foreign tourists are currently spending their vacations during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer on the Uruguayan coast. EFE