A Chinese woman in her 20s was rescued 37 hours after being swept out to sea while swimming at a Japanese beach, officials said Thursday. She had drifted more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) in the Pacific Ocean.
Japan’s coast guard initiated a search after receiving a call Monday night from the woman’s friend, who reported her missing while swimming at Shimoda, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
The woman was spotted by a cargo ship early Wednesday, approximately 36 hours after her disappearance, off the southern tip of Boso Peninsula, the coast guard reported.
The cargo ship alerted a passing LPG tanker, the Kakuwa Maru No. 8, for assistance. Two crew members from the tanker jumped into the sea and rescued the woman, officials confirmed. She was then airlifted by a coast guard helicopter to land.
Although slightly dehydrated, the woman was in good health and walked away after being examined at a nearby hospital. Officials noted she was fortunate to have survived the ordeal, which included the dangers of heat stroke under the sun, hypothermia at night, and the risk of being hit by a ship in the dark.
Credit: The Associated Press.
