SYDNEY (AFP) – A shipwrecked Solomon Islander has survived a “full day and night” adrift in the South Pacific by clutching onto an emptied petrol can, police said yesterday.
The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force said the 25-year-old and another man were travelling from the capital Honiara when they “experienced rough seas and as a result their boat sank”.
In dire straits, the man emptied a petrol can and used it as a float, surviving for a “full day and night at sea”.
He eventually washed up on an island more than 30 kilometres from the capital.
“People from Kuila village sighted him and rescued him,” police said.
The skipper of the boat, a 54-year-old male, is still missing.
“I am calling on ship captains and boat travellers to look out for the missing person,” said Inspector George Mouli.
