Fishermen survive 55 days adrift at sea living on 'rusted engine water'

Five fishermen who went missing in mid-March have been rescued and brought to a port in the Galapagos Islands after an incredible 55 days adrift at sea. The three Peruvian and two Colombian fishermen were found on May 7 by an Ecuadorian tuna boat called Aldo, the Ecuadorian navy said on X.

The fishermen had reported damage to the boat's alternator two days after setting sail from Pucusana Bay, south of Peru's capital of Lima. The failure caused communication and navigation tools to malfunction, Ecuadorian Navy Frigate Capt. Maria Fares told AP, adding that they had no power on the boat. In order to survive, the fishermen had to take drastic action when it came to food and water.

“They had no starter, lights and everything that a battery generates,” she said. To survive, they had to "take rusted water out of the engine (and) when a fish passed by, they caught it and parboiled it to eat," she said.

The fishermen, including Vladimir González, 32, José Albines, 52, José Gabriel Albines, 31 and Jhonny García Jorge Ugarte, 40, also drank rain and seawater to survive.

The distance between Pucusana Bay, Peru, and the Galapagos Islands, where the men were rescued, is over 1,275 miles, according to distance.to.

The men are said to be in a stable condition after arriving at the San Cristobal Naval Base. The navy said it was coordinating with local and foreign authorities to ensure their safe return to Peru and Colombia.

This dramatic tale is not the only one to come out of Peru, either. Earlier this year, another Peruvian fisherman, 61-year-old Máximo Napa, spent 95 days at sea alone. He survived by eating cockroaches, birds and turtles.

He was also rescued by an Ecuadorian vessel and returned to Lima in mid-March, ahead of being reunited with his family.

Meanwhile, in 2023, Australian sailor Tim Shaddock survived over two months lost at sea with his dog, Bella. The pair were sailing from Mexico to French Polynesia, the 51-year-old said, when rough seas damaged their boat and its electronics system.