In an incredible incident, a sailor,52, survived for 14 hours by clinging to a piece of sea rubbish in the Pacific Ocean.
According to the details, Vidam Perevertilov was serving as chief engineer at Silver Supporter, a cargo ship that was making a supply run between the Tauranga Port in New Zealand to Pitcairn in UK, when he fell off the ship and spent over 14 hours in the seawater.
Speaking to New Zealand news site Stuff, his son Marat said that Perevertilov was on shift pumping fuel in the engine room, he had stepped out for a bit feeling ‘hot and dizzy.’
“It was around 4 in the morning on February 16 when he fell into the sea while taking in a breather. It is believed that he may have fainted because of which he fell into the sea.”
It was only six hours later when the ship noticed that he was missing, his son said, adding that the ship was turned around and distress messages were sent out to the ships nearby. The French navy vessel joined the search operation from Tahiti.
One of the men on the ship heard a feeble shout after which they saw him waving at the ship. Not wearing a life jacket, he spotted a ‘black dot’ towards which he swam swiftly. Soon after, he was rescued. “He looked about 20 years older and very tired but he was alive,” Marat added.
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