A man, who has been rescued after more than 90 days lost at sea, is recalling how he survived the ordeal.
Máximo Napa Castro initially set out on a fishing boat from the coastal town of Marcona in Peru on Dec. 7, 2024, before he was found by an Ecuadorian fishing patrol vessel 388 miles away off the port of Chimbote on March 11, national news agency RPP and CNN reported. Per Reuters, “stormy weather” caused Castro’s boat to go adrift 10 days into his two-week trip.
Castro, 61, was “heavily dehydrated and in a critical condition” at the time of his rescue. He was then sent for medical checks at the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes Hospital in Paita, the outlets said.
The man later arrived at the Jorge Chávez International Airport, where he was tearfully reunited with his family on Saturday, March 15, per the outlets.
Castro told CNN, “I said I didn’t want to die for my mother. I have a granddaughter who is a few months old. I held on for her. Every day, I thought of my mother.”
Castro said in an interview with local media, per CNN, that he drank “rainwater collected on the boat” and ate insects, birds and a turtle to stay alive. He hadn’t eaten for the last 15 days before he was rescued, Reuters reported.
“The [turtle] blood saved me; it was the last straw. I cooked [the little bit of rice I had left] over firewood. I’m a little stable,” Castro told RPP.
Castro’s mother, Elena Castro, said to local media after he was found, per Reuters, “I told the Lord, whether he’s alive or dead, just bring him back to me, even if it’s just to see him. But my daughters never lost faith.”
The man’s daughter, Inés Napa, who greeted him at the airport on March 15, said her father will be flown to Pisco to reunite with his mother and the rest of his family. She thanked those who rescued her father in a Facebook post, per CNN.
Castro’s family had been desperately searching for him since he went missing on Dec. 7, according to reports.
On March 3, his daughter wrote on Facebook, per CNN, “Every day is anguish for the whole family … We never thought we would go through this situation, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, we will not lose hope, Dad, of finding you.”
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Castro, speaking about getting back to his normal life, told RPP, “Today I ate rice with chicken and beans. I wanted to eat five plates, but I couldn’t, so I had to eat just one. My stomach still needs to settle. My mom is going to make me carapulcra, rice with chicken, and sopa seca.”
“All I want is to hug my mom. [The doctors] have told me I’m fine; I’ve always eaten well,” he added.
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