WASHINGTON: A Colombian man was rescued southeast of Hawaii by a merchant vessel after surviving two months adrift on board a skiff in the Pacific Ocean, the US Coast Guard reported Thursday.
The 29-year-old, whose identity was not provided by US authorities, was rescued by the 188-meter (617-foot) Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel Nikkei Verde.
The man was transferred to a US Coast Guard vessel, which took him to Honolulu on Wednesday, where he underwent a medical check that determined he was in good health, the Coast Guard said in its statement.
Rescue authorities in Honolulu on April 26 had received notice from the captain of the Nikkei Verde that, during that vessel’s journey to China, the crew spotted the man on board the skiff 3,460 km (2,145 mi.) southeast of Hawaii.
The man said that he and three companions had set sail from Colombia more than two months ago but the engine on board their boat broke down.
He said that his three crewmates had died at sea but he had survived by eating fish and seagulls.
The crew of the Nikkei Verde found no trace of any other bodies on board the skiff, although the survivor had kept their passports and turned them over to authorities.
The Coast Guard said that it helped in the man’s rescue but will not investigate the matter because that is outside its jurisdiction.
US authorities have contacted Colombian consular personnel in San Francisco to make preparations for transferring the survivor back to his home country. -- Bernama