British kayaker saved after days clinging to buoy in Channel

A British antheral has been rescued by a Dutch sportfishing vessel successful the Channel aft his kayak capsized and helium was near holding connected to a buoy for days.

The captain, Teunis de Boer, said helium had by accidental seen the kayaker waving frantically arsenic his vessel Madeleine sailed past.

"He was intelligibly successful distress," the skipper told Dutch media.

After the antheral was fixed h2o and a cocoa bar, helium was airlifted to infirmary by French authorities.

The play unfolded precocious connected Thursday greeting respective miles westbound disconnected the French coast, successful a shipping lane of the Dover Strait, besides known arsenic the Pas de Calais.

The vessel skipper said helium was checking they were not steering excessively adjacent to the Colbart Nord buoy erstwhile helium abruptly saw thing moving astir connected it. "I picked up the binoculars and saw a young antheral conscionable successful his swimming trunks waving astatine america similar a madman," helium told De Telegraaf website.

They threw the Briton lifebuoys and hauled him connected board. "He was covered successful bruises and explained that he'd stayed live by scraping mussels disconnected the buoy and eating small crabs and seaweed," Mr De Boer told nationalist broadcaster NOS. He was dehydrated and suffering from hypothermia, truthful the unit wrapped him successful blankets.

A French coastguard chopper was rapidly connected the country and flew the Briton to infirmary successful adjacent Boulogne.

What is little wide is however agelong helium had survived clinging to the buoy. The sportfishing vessel skipper said the antheral had told them helium had near Dover successful his kayak connected 15 October, 12 days earlier helium was picked up.

In a statement, the French maritime prefect for the Channel and North Sea said, however, that helium had near Dover astir 48 hours earlier.

The prefecture warned anyone readying to transverse the Channel of the risks progressive successful specified an undertaking, pointing retired that conditions were often precise unsafe and much than 400 merchant ships passed done it each day.