Epress.am News from Armenia
A sailor who spent more than two weeks stranded on a deserted island the size of a football pitch with no food and water has been rescued.
Sergey Ganushev, 25, was collecting seaweed off the Solovetsky Islands in Russia’s White Sea. After his vessel was destroyed by storms, he swam to the nearest island — an uninhabited landmass around 100 meters long, the International Business Times reports.
He was caught by the storm, and his longboat was turned upside down and thrown on to the cliffs. The man made it to the nearest shore and survived, said the local Emergencies Ministry office, according to LifeNews.ru website.
Ganushev hid from chilling winds in a cave he dug with his bare hands, TV-Novosti reports. He grabbed a few stones and logs he could find to reinforce the makeshift dwelling. He managed to survive on the island eating nothing but seaweed and drinking rain water for 17 days in temperatures close to zero degrees celsius.
He almost lost hope and did not leave his cave in the last few days and was about to slash his wrists, Ganushev later told rescuers. Only the coming helicopter’s sound drew him out. He almost could not move, he was so weak.
“My boat started leaking. Then a storm started and the boat turned over. I swam to a small island. When I got there the boat crashed on rocks. I spent seventeen days on the island. I had a mobile phone, but it was wet and did not work. I had no food and water. It was very scary,” Ganushev said.
“For the first ten days I was watching the vessels go by in the distance, but when I realized that no one saw me, I gave up on that. I did not hope anyone would come for me. I didn’t come out of my ‘cave’ for the last three days. When I heard the helicopter, I wasn’t sure whether I should go out or not. But I did, and I saw the helicopter and started waving.”
Rescuers took him to the nearest city of Arkhangelsk for medical assistance.
“His condition is described as serious, but not critical. He’s highly atrophied and suffered hypothermia,” said the Rescue Service spokesman.
It was a mere coincidence the helicopter was able to find the castaway. The helicopter was actually searching for two other shipwrecked men who lost connection with the Solovetsky Monastery on Oct. 13.
Photos: Newsru.com