A castaway survives 24 days in the Caribbean thanks to... a bottle of Ketchup!

It is an unlikely story that our colleagues from 'Parisien' tell. And if it ends well, it could have turned into a tragedy. A 47-year-old man survived a 24-day shipwreck at sea with only help...a ​​bottle of ketchup!

All's well that ends well for Elvis Francois, a 47-year-old man from Dominica, a small island in the Caribbean. But his story could easily have turned into a tragedy. The man has just been found alive by maritime authorities after being adrift for 24 days at sea. It was discovered about 220 km northwest of Puerto Bolivar in Colombian waters in the Caribbean, says The Parisian this January 19.

A bottle of ketchup as the only aid

And if the story could well have turned into a tragedy, it is nonetheless unusual. And for good reason, as he explained in a video published in the wake of the Colombian Navy, he fed exclusively on ketchup the whole time. And that's most definitely what saved him! 'I had nothing to eat, just a bottle of ketchup, garlic powder and Maggi bouillon cubes. I mixed everything with water to survive for about 24 days' , told the survivor who had also managed to write the word 'help' (help in French) on the hull of his sailboat. 'On January 15, I saw a plane go by. I had a mirror and I started sending signals' , he then detailed. Before concluding with still much relief: 'When I saw him pass twice, I understood that they had seen me' .

#JUDICIAL Shocking testimony from Elvis Francois, a Dominican citizen who was shipwrecked in the Caribbean Sea for 24 days and survived on tomato sauce, garlic powder and broth. @ArmadaColombia rescued the 47-year-old foreigner, who will return to his country. Via @LuisErnestoC96 pic.twitter.com/CMp0Eeuv6z

– ÚltimaHoraCaracol (@UltimaHoraCR) January 18, 2023

How could he get lost in the open sea?

According to a marine press release, the 47-year-old man was allegedly 'carried out to sea' while he was repairing a sailboat in front of a port in Saint-Martin, due to very bad weather conditions. “Without any knowledge of navigation, he was lost and disoriented at sea, his efforts to maneuver the ship and the equipment on board were for naught” , then retraces the press release. Information confirmed by the principal concerned: 'I couldn't do anything but sit and wait... 24 days away from the earth, with no one to talk to, no idea what to do or where I was. It was hard, for moments I lost hope, I thought of my family' . Finally (and fortunately), the end of the story is much more pleasing than the beginning.