VIDEO - Peru fisherman lost at sea for 95 days returns home after rescue

A Peruvian fisherman, Máximo Napa Castro, has been found alive after being lost at sea for 95 days in the Pacific Ocean, according to Peru's state news agency Andina.

Napa Castro, 61, left the coastal town of Marcona on Dec. 7, 2024, but was thrown off course due to harsh weather. His boat drifted for months, and he was finally discovered by an Ecuadorian fishing vessel on March 11, 2025, in waters off northern Peru. He was in critical condition, severely dehydrated, and near death.

In a tearful interview, Napa Castro told local media how he survived by drinking rainwater and eating insects, birds, and even a turtle.

He had gone the last 15 days without food. Despite the overwhelming challenge, he said his thoughts of family kept him alive. "I thought of my mother and my newborn granddaughter every day. I didn't want to die for them," he said.

His daughter, Inés Napa Torres, expressed gratitude to the Ecuadorian fishermen who rescued her father, thanking them on social media for their life-saving efforts.

The family, along with fellow fishermen, had been searching for Napa Castro for months. His daughter had posted on Facebook on March 3, detailing the family's anguish as they clung to hope, saying, "We never imagined we’d go through this... but we will not lose hope, Dad."

Napa Castro received medical care at the Hospital Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes in Paita, near the Peruvian-Ecuadorian border, and was released on Saturday after his recovery.