Two fishermen have been rescued by a cruise ship after spending twenty days adrift at sea in the Caribbean.
James Van Fleet, the chief meteorologist for Royal Caribbean International, said that strong winds blew the fishermen away from their gear while they were sleeping. The men are as yet unidentified.
Van Fleet posted photos of the rescue, as well as a brief statement, to Twitter:
More pics to share from @RoyalCaribbean #EmpressoftheSeas rescuing 2 Mariners who had been at Sea for 20 DAYS in that small boat between #Jamaica and #GrandCayman! See last pic for story. UNREAL and so PROUD of Officers and Crew! Thank you @jleberle and @caryjames007 for pics. pic.twitter.com/VEw1tzChMO
— James Van Fleet (@JamesVanFleet) December 21, 2018
The fishermen, who are from Costa Rica, apparently had enough food and water on their boat to last seven days, after which they attempted to fish for their food. It is not immediately clear how they managed to survive once their water ran out.
According to a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean International, the rescue only happened because cruise ship Empress of the Seas changed course thanks to storms earlier in the week.
“Pure luck, lining of the stars, God, whatever you choose to believe, the facts are we would NOT have been in that area at the time had we not switched to go to Ocho Rios,” Van Fleet said.
The fishermen have been given medical attention since arriving in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. One of the men could not walk after being rescued, but has since recovered.
Pretty lucky, folks!
