Man survives on ketchup when stranded at sea for weeks

• Eddie Francois, 47, found 120 nautical miles north-west of Colombia’s Puerto Bolvar.
• The word “help” was inscribed on the sailboat’s hull, which led a plane to spot him.
• He claims that bad weather caused his boat to drift out to sea in December.

A man who was lost for 24 days in the Caribbean Sea claims that he only consumed ketchup to stay alive.

The word “help” was inscribed on the sailboat’s hull, which led a plane to spot Elvis Francois, 47, 120 nautical miles north-west of Colombia’s Puerto Bolvar, according to a statement released by the Colombian navy on Thursday.

“I had no food. It was just a bottle of ketchup that was on the boat, garlic powder and Maggi (stock cubes) so I mixed it up with some water,” Francois said in a video provided by the Colombian army.

Francois, a resident of the Caribbean island of Dominica, claimed that in December, bad weather caused his boat to drift out to sea as he was performing maintenance on it close to the Dutch portion of the island of Saint Martin.

He said he lacked navigational skills and was unable to steer his boat back to land, getting lost at sea for weeks.

“Twenty four days – no land, nobody to talk to. Don’t know what to do, don’t know where you are. It was rough,” he said. “At a certain time, I lose hope. I think about my family.”

After being saved, he was taken to the port city of Cartagena, where he received medical attention before being turned over to immigration officials to travel home, according to Colombian officials.

Also Read

Colombia president backs defence minister accused by Guatemala

Rafael Curruchiche, the head of Guatemala's Special Prosecutor will launch legal procedures...