A castaway from the island of Dominica survived 24 days in the Caribbean Sea before being rescued by the Colombian navy. The man said he lived only on a bottle of ketchup, garlic powder and a few bouillon cubes.
The 47-year-old man was driven out to sea in December while repairing a sailboat. Bad weather hit Elvis Francois in front of a port on the island of Saint-Martin. “Without any navigation skills, he was lost and disoriented. All attempts to maneuver the ship have been in vain,” the navy reported. His attempts to make calls had also failed because he had no mobile network.
Sent signals
“I had no choice but (…) to wait 24 days without anyone to talk to, without knowing where I was,” said François. Finally, he came up with the idea of writing the word “help” on his boat. “On January 15, I saw an airplane and started sending out signals using the sun and a mirror.” He was lucky: the passengers on the plane saw him and called for help. The Navy and a merchant ship were finally able to rescue Francois off the coast of Colombia.
He had survived thanks to a bottle of ketchup, some garlic powder and a few cubes of soup that he would have diluted with water. The castaway was located about 140 miles southwest of the port city of Puerto Bolivar. The Colombian immigration authorities now want to ensure his speedy return to his homeland of Dominica.
Source: Krone
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