48 Hours After Falling Off Boat, 37-Year-Old's Dramatic Rescue Captured on Video
After spending 48 hours floating helplessly in the Caribbean Sea, a 37-year-old man from Costa Rica was rescued by an American commercial ship.
According to the Daily Mail, the unidentified man boarded a boat in Costa Rica on Sunday in order to reach Panama for work.
His ride was reportedly free of charge, but the man did not reach Panama as rough waters caused him to fall overboard.
It is unclear whether or not the vessel transporting the man heard his cries for help or attempted a rescue.
As the weather worsened and the sun went down, the man’s chances of being spotted and rescued in the vast body of water dwindled.
Finally, an American merchant vessel that was traveling 47 nautical miles north of the Cartagena Bay on Wednesday noticed the man and came to his rescue.
#UnidadesAeronavales de la @ArmadaColombia rescataron con vida a un costarricense ??, quien el pasado domingo 8 de marzo naufragó en aguas del #MarCaribe. El rescate se dio a 47 NM (millas náuticas) al norte de #Cartagena ??
Detalles▶️https://t.co/MVyJPYyUIR
Sigue el hilo ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/voy3Ee3ePb
— Armada de Colombia (@ArmadaColombia) March 12, 2020
Dramatic video footage showed the man clinging to a lifebuoy that American crews tossed his way.
By this time the man had spent roughly 48 hours alone at sea, and miraculously, was still alive.
The man was brought on board the South Carolina ship, where crews quickly alerted the Colombian Maritime Traffic Control Tower.
…El ciudadano costarricense ?? fue evacuado hasta el #HospitalNavalDeCartagena, en donde se encuentra estable y recuperándose de la hipotermia? y deshidratación presentada durante su emergencia. pic.twitter.com/anpf0KN1El
— Armada de Colombia (@ArmadaColombia) March 12, 2020
According to the Daily Mail, a helicopter crew picked up the man and took him first to the ARC Naval Base Bolivar before relocating him to the Cartagena Naval Hospital.
As of Thursday, the man was still in the hospital in stable condition, diagnosed with hypothermia and dehydration.
#NoticiaEnDesarrollo | Exitoso rescate aéreo de persona en emergencia en aguas del #CaribeColombiano, después de más de 48 horas de haber náufragado. pic.twitter.com/2ALLsmO60r
— Armada de Colombia (@ArmadaColombia) March 12, 2020
The Colombian Navy issued a statement about its ongoing commitment to human safety as well as search and rescue practices.
“The Colombian Navy will continue with the development of search and rescue operations that will safeguard human life at sea,” naval authorities stated.
Navy officials thanked the community of sailors “who in a timely manner alert the maritime authority about emergencies on the high seas, contributing to the operation that guarantees safety in the rivers, coasts and seas of the Colombian Caribbean.”
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