Miraculous rescue: Brazilian fisherman survives after spending 11 days in freezer in Atlantic Ocean

What could be termed as a sheer miracle, a fisherman from Brazil survived after he was rescued by sailors in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean after his boat sank.

The 44-year-old Romualdo Macedo Rodrigues, left Oiapoque, Amapa state, northern Brazil in late July in a wooden boat to go to Ilet la Mere as he decided to spend a few days fishing. But his boat began to sink after water seeped through it. Rodrigues climbed into a freezer, which he had on board and as the boat sank and spent his next 11 days in the sea without food or much water.

Luckily, sailors from another boat spotted the freezer floating in the sea and decided to check it. According to The Rio Times, Mr Rodrigues was initially held in custody in Suriname's capital city of Paramaribo as he didn't have official documents, but later he was given a flight ticket to return to Brazil.


Mr Rodrigues believes that he lost around five kilograms during the ordeal of 11 days.

"What troubled me most was the thirst. This fridge, for me, was God. A miracle," he was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.

The fisherman was dehydrated and disorientated when he was spotted by the sailors. As they approached him, Rodrigues pleaded with his rescuers for a drink.

"I thought I was going to be attacked by sharks because there are lots of curious fish on the high seas," he said.

Recalling the rescue, the fisherman said, "I heard a noise and there was a boat above the freezer. Except they thought there was no one there. Then they slowly got closer, my vision was fading, and then I said, 'My God, the boat'. I raised my arms and asked for help.'"

While talking about the fisherman's condition when he landed in Brazil, police officer Luis Carlos Porto said, "He was very thin, debilitated, but in very good spirits. The wounds he had on his body, which were related to the sun, were already much better. He says he had vision problems due to the excessive heat, salt, and light, but he was very calm and in good health."