Thanks to ketchup, garlic powder and Maggi cubes
Shipwrecked man survives 24 days alone at sea
A man had to endure 24 days at sea. He only survived with the help of a bottle of ketchup, garlic powder and a mirror.
Published: 5 minutes ago
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Medical examination after almost a month at sea. Elvis Francois survived the survival drama.
How do you survive 24 days alone at sea? Elvis Francois (47) from the island state of Dominica knows it. He spent almost a month alone until he was rescued off the coast of Colombia.
The 47-year-old was busy repairing a sailboat off a Caribbean port in December when his life changed in an instant. Suddenly the weather changed and his boat was swept out to sea.
“Without any navigation skills, he was lost and disoriented. All efforts to maneuver the ship were in vain,” the Colombian Navy said. Without a mobile network, his attempts to call were also in vain.
The shipwrecked man now says in a video released by the Colombian Navy: “I called my friends, they tried to reach me, but I lost the signal. I had no choice but to wait.” Persevering on the open sea, for many probably the death sentence – not for Francois.
Mirror idea saves his life
The man from Dominica knew what to do. During his 24-day trip through the Caribbean, he drank rainwater he’d soaked up with a cloth. He also ate ketchup, garlic powder and Maggi cubes. Again and again he had to draw water from his boat to avoid sinking. A fire attempt as a distress signal failed.
Eventually he came up with the idea of writing the word “Help” on his boat. “Then on January 15, I saw an airplane and started sending signals using the sun and a mirror,” he continued. When the plane flew past him a second time, he knew the occupants would have spotted him.
The Colombian Navy was finally able to save Francois with the support of a merchant ship. His odyssey ended around 220 kilometers southwest of the Colombian port of Puerto Bolívar. Francois was relieved: “At some point I lost hope and thought of my family, but I thank the Coast Guard. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be telling this story.” The Colombian immigration authorities now want to take care of his speedy return to his home country of Dominica. (abt/AFP)