A Peruvian fisherman, found to be alive after a 95-day drift in the Pacific Ocean, said he ate cockroaches, birds and sea turtles to survive.
Maximo Napa was severely dehydrated and in danger when it was found on an Ecuadorian fishing patrol about 680 miles off the Peruvian coast last Wednesday, according to Reuters. He originally left Marcona, a town on the south coast of Peru, and went on a fishing trip on December 7th.
“I didn't want to die,” Napa told Reuters. “I ate cockroaches, birds, the last thing I ate was a turtle.”
“I thought about my mother every day,” he added. “I'm grateful to God for giving me a second chance.”
The fishermen survive in the ocean for eight days.
Maxi Monapa, a Peruvian fisherman who spent 95 days defeat in the Pacific before being rescued by Ecuadorian fishing patrol, speaks to the media on March 14th in Paita, Peru. (LA Republica/Reuters)
Napa initially packed enough food to spend two weeks at the ocean, but in 10 days he was thrown off the course by stormy weather and drifted in the Pacific Ocean, Reuters reported.
The news agency added that Napa drank rainwater he had collected from the boat, but he eventually ran out of food sources and spent the last 15 days without eating anything.
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Maxi Monapa, a Peruvian fisherman who was lost for 95 days in the Pacific before being rescued by Ecuadorian fishing patrol, will be reunited with his brothers after being rescued on March 14th in Paita, Peru. (LA Republica/Reuters)
Napa reportedly maintained his hopes by thinking about his family and the granddaughter of his infant.
“Whether he's alive or dead, I told the main, that even if it's just going to meet him, it's just going to bring him back to me,” his mother, Elena Castro, told TV Peru.
“But my daughters never lost faith. They kept telling me: Mama, he'll come back and he'll come back,” she added.
Military medical teams provide care to Maxi Monapa, a Peruvian fisherman, after rescue. (LA Republica/Reuters)
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Napa is expected to reunite with her brothers in Paita, a city in northern Peru, and undergo medical checks.
