Two fishermen rescued after eight days stranded at sea
Two men were rescued off the coast of Florida after clinging to their capsized boat for eight days
Bahamian fishermen were rescued on Saturday evening after being found clinging to the hull of their overturned boat by a passing freighter.
U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Kyle Stallings told The Sun Sentinel that the pair “were really exposed and really deteriorating quickly”.
Mr Stallings also said the victims were completely waterlogged when found and they had consumed seawater while stranded, which can speed up dehydration.
“They were both in tears, you could tell they were on their last straw of hope,” Stallings said.
The two men, aged 56 and 57 years old, were rescued by a MH-65 helicopter after the freighter contacted the U.S. Coast Guard.
Coast Guard Pilot Jerod Glover told The Sun Sentinel: “It’s the first time I’ve done a rescue where it’s like something you see on TV, where people [are] saying [they] shouldn’t be alive.”
The men were taken to the Delray Medical Centre for treatment and the U.S. Customs Border Protection is now handling the case.
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