A Peruvian fisherman who set off for a trip in early December has been found alive and well, having survived on rainwater and a variety of animals.
Máximo Napa Castro, 65, was missing for 95 days in the Pacific Ocean after what was meant to be a two-week trip at most turned into a nightmare when a storm blew him off course.
Last week, an Ecuadorian fishing patrol boat found Castro on the verge of death in his boat, 680 miles away from land.
To stay alive, Castro said he ate birds, roaches and turtles – and thought of his young granddaughter.
‘I did not want to die,’ he said. ‘I had a granddaughter who is a few months old, I held on to her. Every day I thought of my mother.
‘I’m thankful to God for giving me a second chance.’
Castro had packed enough food to last for two weeks, but had run out 14 days before he was found.
His mum, Elena, told local media: ‘I told the Lord, whether he’s alive or dead, just bring him back to me, even if it’s just to see him.
‘But my daughters never lost faith. They kept telling me: Mom, he’ll come back, he’ll come back.’
Despite his ordeal, Castro was able to walk and wash himself, Peruvian navy port captain Jorge Gonzalez said.
Four people, including two Brits, were rescued from a stricken boat after being stranded at sea for four days.
The men were said to be suffering from dehydration when they were winched to safety by helicopter around 60 miles north of Tenerife. They made a Mayday call after seeing they were starting to take on water.
A Panamanian-flagged vessel named locally as Green Power is said to have responded by heading to the area they were in along with a Civil Guard vessel.
In August, a newborn was rescued after being stranded on a Greek island without water for three days.
Human traffickers abandoned a group of refugees on the shores of the Aegean Sea – including pregnant women and babies – without food or water.
The baby boy, said to be aged just 50 days old, was among the dozens who became trapped in a mountainous area.
As their recourses ran low, his parents were forced to use seawater to make his milk.
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