In an astonishing tale of survival, a Peruvian fisherman has been found alive after spending 95 grueling days lost at sea. Máximo Napa Castro, 61, was rescued by an Ecuadorian fishing patrol on March 11, after drifting 680 miles off the coast of Ecuador.
Castro’s ordeal began on December 7, when he set sail from his hometown of Marcona, a coastal town in southern Peru. He had enough food to last him two weeks, but bad weather struck just 10 days into his trip, sending his boat off course.
When Castro did not return home, his family reported him missing, and Peru’s maritime patrols launched a search operation. However, it wasn’t until months later that Castro was finally found, heavily dehydrated and in critical condition.
According to Castro, he survived on rainwater and resorted to eating insects, birds, and even sea turtles to stay alive. “I ate roaches, birds, the last thing I ate was turtles,” he told Reuters. “I did not want to die.”
Castro credited his family for keeping him motivated to survive. “I said I didn’t want to die for my mother,” he said. “I thought about my mother every day, and my granddaughter, who was just born.”
Meanwhile, Castro’s mother, Elena Castro, had started to lose hope. “I told the Lord, whether he’s alive or dead, just bring him back to me, even if it’s just to see him,” she told TV Peru.
Castro’s daughter, Inés Napa Torres, took to Facebook to express her gratitude to the Ecuadorian fishing patrol for rescuing her father. “THANK YOU ECUADORIAN BROTHERS FOR RESCUING MY DAD GOD BLESS YOU,” she wrote.
After being rescued, Castro was taken to Hospital Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes in Paita for medical evaluation and was discharged on Saturday.
