Viral / Man clings to wooden board, survives 2 weeks at sea after boat mishap in Bali

Bali: In a tale of bravery and resilience, an Indonesian youth defied all odds as he survived at sea for about two weeks clinging to a wooden board after his boat was rammed by a large ship. The incident happened when 18-year-old Muhammad Kartoyo was sailing with six other fishermen off Bali when their fishing boat was destroyed after being hit by what appeared to be a ferry.

However, thankfully, Kartoyo was rescued by fishermen on Tuesday in waters off Sulawesi island while clinging to a wooden board from the boat,  dpa news agency quoted Krisna Maharta, a spokesman for the search and rescue agency in Bali said.

“They drifted for a week clinging to what was left of the boat but Kartoyo said one by one the other sailors drowned,” he said.

“Kartoyo did not remember clearly when the accident happened but it was believed to be March 9,” he added. One other fisherman was found dead, while five others are still missing, according to the spokesman.

In a similar tale of survival, three Cuban nationals were left stranded on an uninhabited island in the Bahamas for over 30 days. On February 10 this year, the US coast guard found two men and a woman who were living in Anguilla Cay for 33 days after their boat capsized. The crew were reportedly on a routine mission off the Florida Keys and their boat had overturned in rough waters following which they were able to swim to the island. They had been surviving by eating coconuts, the meat from conch shells and rats.