Colombia: A man from Dominica has recounted his incredible story of survival after spending 24 days lost at sea in a sailboat.

Elvis Francois, 47, says he survived only by eating ketchup that was on the boat. He was eventually rescued in Colombian waters, 120 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Bolivar in the northern department of La Guajira, after writing “help” on the hull of the boat and making signals with a mirror.

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Francois said he saw other boats pass by, but they didn’t see him, and he had to bail water to keep his vessel from sinking.

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He added, “24 days, no land. Nobody to talk to. Don’t know what to do. Don’t know where you are. It was rough. At a certain time, I lose hope. I think about my family.”

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The Navy said he was working to repair a sailboat off a harbour on the Caribbean island of St Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles.

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This was in December last year when the weather turned foul and he was swept out to sea.

He tried to make calls on his cell phone, but he ran out of signal. A video released by the Navy shows a doctor examining Elvis Francois, who appears to be in good health.

He was handed over to the immigration authorities to coordinate his return to his country.