ews24 Home > World Man ate birds, turtles in 13 months adrift View 7 comments Comment 2014-02-03 16:38 Wellington - Its a story that almost defies belief: A man leaves Mexico in December 2012 for a day of shark fishing and ends up surviving 13 months on fish, birds and turtles before washing ashore on the remote Marshall Islands some 8 800km away. But thats the story a man identifying himself as 37-year-old Jose Salvador Alvarenga told the US ambassador in the Marshall Islands and the nations officials during a 30-minute meeting on Monday before he was taken to a local hospital for monitoring. Alvarenga washed ashore on the tiny atoll of Ebon in the Pacific Ocean last week before being taken to the capital, Majuro, on Monday. Its hard for me to imagine someone surviving 13 months at sea, said Ambassador Tom Armbruster in Majuro. But its also hard to imagine how someone might arrive on Ebon out of the blue. Certainly this guy has had an ordeal, and has been at sea for some time. Other officials were reacting cautiously to the Spanish-speaking mans story while they try to piece together more information. If true, the mans ordeal would rank among the greatest tales ever of survival at sea. No family Armbruster said the soft-spoken man complained of joint pain on Monday and had a limp but was able to walk. He had long hair and a beard, the ambassador said, and rather than appearing emaciated he looked puffy in places, including around his ankles. Otherwise, he added, Alvarenga seemed in reasonable health. Armbruster, who speaks Spanish, said the survivor told the following story: Hes a native of El Salvador but has lived in Mexico for 15 years and fishes for a man he knows as Willie, catching sharks for $1.90 per pound. On 21 December, Alvarenga left Mexico in his 7m fiberglass boat for a days fishing, accompanied by a teen he knew only as Ezekiel, who was between 15 and 18. A storm blew the fishermen off course, and soon they were lost and adrift. He talked about scooping up little fish that swam alongside the boat and eating them raw, Armbruster said. He also said he ate birds, and drank birds blood. After about a month, Ezekiel died, the survivor told officials. Alvarenga also talked about eating turtles. Once near Ebon, he swam ashore. He thanked God, initially, that he had survived, the ambassador said. Hes very anxious to get back in touch with his employer, and also with the family of Ezekiel. Thats his driving motivation at the moment. Armbruster said the man said he had no family in Mexico but he does have three brothers who live in the US, although he could not immediately provide officials with contact details. Sketchy Gee Bing, the acting secretary of foreign affairs for the Marshall Islands, said he was somewhat sceptical of Alvarengas account after meeting with him Monday. It does sound like an incredible story and Im not sure if I believe his story, Bing said. When we saw him, he was not really thin compared to other survivors in the past. I may have some doubts. Once we start communicating with where hes from, well be able to find out more information. Bing said the man had no identification with him and other details of his story remained sketchy, including the exact location of his departure from Mexico. The survivors vital signs appeared good except that his blood pressure was a bit low, Bing said. After doctors give him the all-clear, Bing said, officials hope to repatriate him to Mexico or whatever country is appropriate. Bing said the Mexican ambassador in the Philippines, Julio Camarena, has been involved in the case. Camarena could not be contacted immediately. Erik van Sebille, a Sydney-based oceanographer at the University of New South Wales, said there was a good chance a boat drifting off Mexicos west coast would eventually be carried by currents to the Marshall Islands. He said such a journey would typically take 18 months to two years depending on the winds and currents, although 13 months was possible. The way that the currents in the Pacific work is that there is a very strong westerly current just north of the equator and that basically drives you directly from Mexico all the way toward Indonesia and in the path, you go right over the Marshall Islands, he said. There have been other cases of people surviving for months adrift in the Pacific. In a case with similarities, three Mexican shark fishermen in 2006 said they were lost at sea for nine months before being rescued near the Marshall Islands. In 1989, four men survived nearly four months in the Pacific Ocean near New Zealand after their multi-hulled boat capsized. AP
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 15:52:30 +0000
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