Rescued after 22 Hours Adrift - Japan

[divinh]

Boat capsized...

 

[DandyDon]

‘Miracle’ rescue of man after 22 hours drifting in rough seas off Japan

Rescuers spotted man sitting on engine of boat after it capsized off south-western Kagoshima prefecture

www.theguardian.com

A 69-year-old man has been rescued in rough seas off Japan after spending 22 hours drifting in open water, with one official calling his survival a “miracle”.

The man, whose name has not been released, was alone on a boat off south-western Kagoshima prefecture en route to the resort island of Yakushima on Saturday afternoon when it capsized.



He managed to call a colleague on the island to alert him, but was not found until nearly a day later, the coastguard said, when rescuers spotted him sitting on the engine of his capsized boat, clasping a propeller part.

“He was out in the sea alone for 22 hours. I am amazed by his survival skills,” a coastguard official said, declining to be identified.

Dramatic footage released by the coastguard showed a team approaching the man by boat, calling out: “We are coming! Just a little bit longer! Hold on tight!”

The man was able to wrap himself in a grey plastic sheet, helping him stay warm, officials said.

“It’s a miracle he survived,” a coastguard official told the Asahi Shimbun daily.

 

[divinh]

I've done Kagoshima to/from Yakushima. It's four hours by slow cargo boat and two hours by high-speed catamaran. It's definitely rough over open water.

 

[DandyDon]

It does not seem to have been a diving accident tho.

 

[divinh]

Nope. I posted because it's about survival in open water.

 

[DandyDon]

Nope. I posted because it's about survival in open water.

Lucky that he still had a phone, still worked, and had reception. A well equipped diver would have fired his PLB so the Coasties could find him in the dark.

 

[Shasta_man]

Probably still doesn't have his land legs yet.