A Peruvian fisherman who was found alive after spending 95 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean said he ate roaches, birds and sea turtles to survive.
Maximo Napa was heavily dehydrated and in critical condition when he was discovered by an Ecuadorian fishing patrol about 680 miles off the coast of Peru last Wednesday, according to Reuters. He originally departed Marcona, a town on Peru’s southern coast, for a fishing trip on Dec. 7.
“I did not want to die,” Napa told Reuters. “I ate roaches, birds, the last thing I ate was turtles.”
“I thought about my mother every day,” he added. “I’m thankful to God for giving me a second chance.”
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Napa initially packed enough food to spend two weeks at sea, but 10 days in, he was thrown off course by stormy weather and ended up adrift in the Pacific, Reuters reported.
The news agency added that Napa drank rainwater he collected on his boat, but he eventually ran out of food sources and spent the last 15 days without eating anything.
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Napa reportedly kept his hopes up by thinking about his family and infant granddaughter.
“I told the Lord, whether he’s alive or dead, just bring him back to me, even if it’s just to see him,” his mother Elena Castro told TV Peru, according to Reuters.
“But my daughters never lost faith. They kept telling me: Mom, he’ll come back, he’ll come back,” she added.
Napa reunited with his brother in Paita, a city in northern Peru, and is expected to undergo medical checks.
