A man was rescued after spending 24 days floating about 200km off Colombia’s La Guajira Peninsula eating only ketchup and condiments.
Elvis François, 47, was rescued by the Colombian Navy after a plane flew over his boat and crew saw the word “Socorro” engraved on the ship’s hull.
François, who is originally from the Caribbean island of Dominica, said in a video obtained by NBC News that he was repairing the boat near the island of Saint Martin in the same region last December when poor weather conditions brought him out to sea.
“Twentyfour days without a country, without anyone to talk to, not knowing what to do or where to be was tough,” François said in the video. “At some point I lost hope.”
According to the Navy, the man had no knowledge of navigation, which caused him to get lost at sea.
François said he tried to contact friends and colleagues but lost signal as he got further from shore. As such, he had to rely on the supplies on board to support himself.
“I had nothing to eat. It was just a bottle of ketchup, and garlic powder [tempero] Maggi who were on the boat. So I mixed it with some water,” he said.
Commander Carlos Urbano Montes of the Colombian Navy told the Associated Press that François drank rainwater, which he caught with a cloth. In addition, the military stated that the sailor was found in good health, but that he had lost weight during the drifting period.
The Navy said in a press release that François was given medical advice and then referred to immigration authorities, who will send him back to his country.