According to AFP
January 19, 2023 | 3:26 p.m
A man from the Caribbean island of Dominica said he survived 24 days lost at sea on a sailboat by eating ketchup before being rescued in Colombian waters, the country’s naval authorities said.
An undated handout image released on January 18, 2023 by the Colombian National Navy shows Dominican Elvis Fracois being checked after a rescue in the Caribbean sea off Colombia. – A Dominican man was missing for almost a month on a sailboat in the Caribbean Sea and survived by eating ketchup before being rescued in Colombian waters, the country’s maritime authorities reported Wednesday. (Photo by – / Colombian National Navy / AFP) /
A man from the Caribbean island of Dominica said he survived 24 days lost at sea on a sailboat by eating ketchup before being rescued in Colombian waters, the country’s naval authorities said.
“I had no food. There was only a bottle of ketchup on the boat, garlic powder and (bouillon cubes) Maggi. So I mixed it with water to survive 24 days at sea,” Elvis Francois, 47, said in English on video released by the Colombian Navy.
The islanders had the word “help” carved into the ship’s hull when it was found 120 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Bolivar in the northern department of La Guajira.
Francois said that he saw another boat passing by and tried to flag him down, even setting fire to the boat, but they did not see him.
Francois saved the water from drowning.
“The last day, about January 15, I saw a plane. I had a mirror. I made some signals,” he said, describing how he tilted the glass to catch the sun’s rays and attract attention.
“He passed the boat twice, so I knew he saw me,” he said. “I’m thankful to be alive today because of him.”
The crew informed the Navy, who then rescued Francois with the help of a merchant ship.
Francois added: “24 days, no land. No one to talk to. Don’t know what to do. Don’t know where you are. It’s hard. At certain times I lose hope. I think of my family.”
A video released by the Navy shows a doctor examining Francois, who appears to be in good health.
“It’s very hard. I don’t know how I lived today but I lived. And I’m grateful for that,” Francois said.
He works to repair sailboats in a harbor on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles in December last year when weather turned bad and she was swept out to sea, the Navy said.
“Without the knowledge of navigation, they were lost and confused at sea. Efforts to maneuver the ship and the equipment on board were futile,” the statement said.
Francois tried to call on his cell phone, but there was no signal.
He was handed over to immigration authorities to coordinate his return to his country.