Castaway survives 24 days – thanks to these tricks (and Maggi cubes)

A castaway from the island state of Dominica survived 24 days in the Caribbean Sea with only a ketchup bottle, some garlic powder and a few Maggi stock cubes until he was rescued off the coast of Colombia.

He expanded it all with water, he had nothing else, Elvis Francois said in a video published by the Colombian Navy.

The 47-year-old was making repairs to a sailboat in December off a harbor on the island of Saint-Martin in the Netherlands Antilles, where he lives.

His ordeal began when currents in bad weather suddenly pushed the sailboat out to sea, the Navy reported. “Without any navigation skills, he was lost and disoriented. All attempts to maneuver the ship were in vain.” Without a mobile network, his attempts to call were also in vain.

In the released video, François describes how he had to constantly scoop seawater out of the boat to prevent it from sinking. He also tried to make fire to send out a distress signal, but to no avail.

A naval commander told the Associated Press (AP) that Francois collected rainwater with a rag.

“I had no choice but to (…) wait 24 days with no one to talk to, no knowing where I was.” Finally, 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 for the second time, he knew the occupants had seen him.

The Colombian Navy was finally able to rescue Francois with the support of a merchant ship. His odyssey ended about 140 miles southwest of the Colombian port city of Puerto Bolívar. The Colombian immigration authorities now want to ensure a speedy return to his homeland Dominica.

François is in good health, but has lost weight. The sailboat had been left at sea when it was picked up by the merchant vessel.

(t-online/dsc)