A sailor has been rescued after being adrift in Caribbean for 24 days - NPR

Castaway Elvis Francois is attended by Colombian Navy members aft helium was rescued adjacent the section of La Guajira, successful the utmost northbound of Colombia. According to the Navy, the 47-year-old from Dominica said helium had been adrift for 24 days successful the Caribbean Sea aft helium was repairing a vessel past December adjacent the land of Sint-Maarten successful the Netherlands Antilles. Colombian Navy property bureau via AP hide caption

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Colombian Navy property bureau via AP

Castaway Elvis Francois is attended by Colombian Navy members aft helium was rescued adjacent the section of La Guajira, successful the utmost northbound of Colombia. According to the Navy, the 47-year-old from Dominica said helium had been adrift for 24 days successful the Caribbean Sea aft helium was repairing a vessel past December adjacent the land of Sint-Maarten successful the Netherlands Antilles.

Colombian Navy property bureau via AP

BOGOTA, Colombia — The Colombian navy rescued a antheral from Dominica who says helium survived 24 days adrift successful the Caribbean connected a sailboat by eating ketchup, ail pulverization and seasoning cubes.

Elvis Francois, 47, had scrawled the connection "help" successful English connected the boat's hull, which officials said was cardinal to his rescue.

The sailboat was spotted from the aerial 120 nautical miles northwest of La Guajira peninsula and Francois was taken to the larboard metropolis of Cartagena by a passing instrumentality ship, the Colombian navy said successful a connection Wednesday.

Francois told Colombian authorities that his ordeal began successful December erstwhile currents swept the sailboat retired to oversea portion helium was making repairs disconnected the land of St. Martin successful the Netherlands Antilles, wherever helium lives.

"I called my friends, they tried to interaction me, but I mislaid the signal. There was thing other to bash but beryllium and wait," Francois recalled successful a video released by the navy.

He said subsisted connected a vessel of ketchup, ail pulverization and Maggi cubes.

Cmdr. Carlos Urbano Montes told The Associated Press connected Thursday that Francois said helium collected rainwater with a cloth. He said Francois was recovered successful bully health, but told authoritative helium had mislaid weight.

Francois said connected the videotape that helium had to perpetually region h2o from the vessel to forestall it from sinking. He besides tried to airy a occurrence to nonstop a distress awesome without success.

Finally, a level passed by and helium signaled with a mirror. He said the navy told him that helium was spotted erstwhile the level passed again.

"At immoderate constituent I mislaid anticipation and thought astir my family, but I convey the seashore guard. If it weren't for them I wouldn't beryllium telling the story," Francois said.

Urbano Montes said the sailboat was abandoned astatine oversea erstwhile Francois was picked up by the merchant ship.

The navy said Francois received a aesculapian cheque connected enactment and past was handed implicit to migration authorities for his instrumentality location to Dominica.