Bogota [Colombia], February 3: The Colombian Navy said on February 2 that it rescued three Panamanians who had been floating in the Pacific Ocean for 11 days, surviving on rainwater and passing coconuts.
According to AFP, the three people mentioned above traveled about 600 km at sea on a regular trip from the Panamanian city of Veracruz to refuel a fishing boat. Veracruz is about 25 km from Panama City (Panama's capital).
"We refueled that ship at about 16, 17 o'clock. Then we left, but after a short distance our boat stalled... From then on, our journey began with northern wind. 11 days over," Mr. Blas Olivardia, 30 years old, said in a video sent to the media.
There was no food or water on the boat, they survived on rainwater and coconuts floating in the sea.
The two people accompanying Mr. Olivardia were Rey Arturo Torres, 27 years old, and Jose Olivardia, 21 years old. Mr. Torres said the coconuts "follow the water, we catch them, break them and eat them."
A Colombian navy patrol discovered the boat drifting with three young men at a location about 180 nautical miles from the country's port of Buenaventura. According to Major Juan David Rendon of the Colombian navy, the three people are "fine", despite being adrift at sea for "so many days".
In images released by the Colombian navy, three men stand next to a boat. One person was barefoot, one person wore only socks and the other person wore sandals.
Coconuts were once saviors in another battle for survival involving Panamanian citizens. In January 2023, the Colombian navy rescued a Panamanian man from the Caribbean island of Dominica who survived 24 days adrift in a sailboat thanks to coconuts as well as ketchup.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
