Colombia

Man found clinging to icebox at sea

Colombian fisherman’s boat capsized in bad weather, leaving him adrift for days until he was spotted by navy

A Colombian fisherman has survived several days in the ocean with only a foam cooler to keep him afloat.

Reuters in Guapi

A man who went missing at sea when a fishing boat capsized has been found clinging to a foam cooler in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Colombia.

The man had apparently gone out fishing with a companion but two days later the boat foundered. He spent two days sent drifting in the open sea.

Video from the Colombian navy shows the moment when coastguard sailors, who were running drills in the area, found the man floating in the ocean.

They managed to rescue the castaway and transfer him to a hospital where he was expected to recover.

“The person was rescued and taken to the Malaga hospital. He was given first aid. He was dehydrated and according to what he said, they left [port] on Friday from the Guapi area to fish with another person and they were turned over in bad weather. He drifted tied to a portable cooler,” said Captain Andres Mejia, commander of Colombia’s Pacific coast guard.

Solano Salazar said he constantly feared for his life during the two days he spent adrift with only a foam cooler to keep him afloat.
Solano Salazar said he constantly feared for his life during the two days he spent adrift with only a foam cooler to keep him afloat. Photograph: Reuters

The 47-year-old, identified as Solano Salazar, was found 22 nautical miles from the south-west coast of Colombia where he had apparently set out on a fishing venture with the other man.

Salazar said he was doing well now that he was back on dry land.

“I am OK now because the navy rescued me. I thought I was going to die. I didn’t think about anything else,” he said.

His companion is still missing.

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