Fisherman rescued after 95 days lost at sea

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A Peruvian fisherman was found alive after being lost and drifting in the Pacific Ocean for 95 days, surviving against all odds.

The 61-year-old man's ordeal began on December 7 during a fishing trip when he became lost far from the southern coast of Peru, unable to return home. Departing from the coastal city of Marcona, his boat was blown off course by a storm after ten days, leaving him stranded without food or water supplies. Lacking navigation equipment, the fisherman struggled to survive for more than three months, hoping someone would find him.

During this time, Máximo Napa Castro managed to sustain himself with whatever the sea provided: fish, birds, cockroaches, and a turtle. For hydration, he collected and drank rainwater. In the final 15 days before his rescue, he was unable to eat.

The turning point came when an Ecuadorian fishing boat spotted him and rescued him 624 kilometers off the coast, dehydrated and in critical condition. Thinking of his family, including his two-month-old granddaughter, gave him the strength to keep going, he said. "I thought about my mother every day, I didn’t want to die for her and for my two-month-old granddaughter. I am grateful to God for giving me a second chance." In his hometown of San Andrés, neighbors and family celebrated his return by decorating the streets and praying in thanksgiving.