(ORDO NEWS) — Lost in the ocean, a resident of the Dominican Republic survived for more than three weeks on a yacht, eating tomato ketchup, and was saved thanks to a mirror.
54-year-old Elvis Francois was swept into the ocean off the coast of Saint Martin in December last year. The man was repairing the ship when the storm began. He ended up drifting on the high seas for 24 days.
All this time he ate ketchup, which he mixed with water, garlic powder and bouillon cubes. In addition, he collected rainwater with a piece of cloth.
François carved the words “Help” into the yacht in the hope of attracting the attention of the aircraft, but no one noticed him.
The man could not attract the attention of the crews of passing ships, even with the help of a fire on board.
In addition, once the Dominican had to jump off the ship so that it would not sink, as the yacht began to take on water.
In the end, Francois was able to signal with a mirror to the crew of an aircraft flying over him.
“In the last days, around January 15, I saw a plane. I had a mirror and started signaling with it.
They flew over the yacht twice, and I realized that they had noticed me.
I am grateful to them for being alive now, ”said the man.
The crew of the aircraft notified the fleet of the victim, and rescuers from the Colombian Navy arrived to help François.
In total, the man spent 24 days on the high seas. During this time, he did not talk to anyone and did not know what to do. He had no idea where he was.
“It was hard. At some point, I lost hope. I thought about my family,” said the Dominican.
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