Ketchup saves a man who got lost for 24 days in the Caribbean
A man who got lost in the Caribbean Sea survived for 24 days after consuming only ketchup during this period, before he was rescued by aid workers in Colombian waters, according to what the Colombian maritime authorities announced.
Elvis François, a 47-year-old from the Dominican Republic, said in a video clip released by the Colombian Navy, "I did not have any food except a packet of ketchup, garlic powder and cubes of broth. I mixed all these ingredients with water and ate them for 24 days so that I could survive." .
The survivor wrote the word “help” on his sailboat, which was found on board 120 nautical miles (about 220 km) northwest of Puerto Bolívar in the northern province of La Guajira.
François said, "I spotted a plane in the sky on January 15, and began to send signals to it through the reflection of the sun's rays on a mirror I had, and when I saw it pass twice, I realized that those inside saw me."
The Colombian Navy immediately came to rescue him with the help of a merchant ship.
A statement from the Colombian Navy indicated that the man, who is based in the Dominican Republic, was lost at sea while repairing a sailboat in front of a port on the island of Saint-Martin, in the northeastern Antilles, due to bad weather that day.
He added, "The man, who knows nothing about maritime navigation, was lost and lost at sea, and his efforts to deal with the vehicle and its equipment were in vain."
Francois tried several times to contact the emergency department, but he did not succeed because of the weakness in the communication network.
"The only thing I could do was sit and wait... 24 days off land by myself. I didn't even know what to do or what point I was in. It was hard and I lost hope sometimes when I thought of my family," the man said.
The man was referred to the Colombian Immigration Service to organize his return to the Dominican Republic.
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#Caribbean Sea,
#ketchup