QUITO: Five fishermen—three from Peru and two from Colombia—arrived safely at a port in the Galapagos Islands on Saturday after spending 55 harrowing days adrift in the Pacific Ocean. Their rescue was confirmed by the Ecuadorian navy in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The group had been missing since mid-March after setting out from Pucusana Bay, south of Peru’s capital, Lima. According to the navy, their ordeal began just two days into the journey when their boat’s alternator failed, knocking out communication and navigation systems and leaving them stranded without power.
“They had no starter, no lights—nothing a battery generates,” said Frigate Captain Maria Fares of the Ecuadorian navy in a statement to The Associated Press.
The men were rescued on May 7 by the Ecuadorian tuna vessel Aldo. To survive, they relied on rainwater and even resorted to drinking small amounts of seawater. They caught fish whenever possible and parboiled them using rudimentary means. In a desperate move, they also extracted and used rusted water from the engine.
Despite the extreme conditions, all five men were found to be in stable condition. The navy said it is working with local and international authorities to facilitate their safe return to Peru and Colombia.
This is not the first such incident in the region this year. In March, 61-year-old Peruvian fisherman Maximo Napa survived 95 days at sea alone before being rescued by another Ecuadorian vessel and reunited with his family in Lima.
