By clinging to a ball left behind by boys at a beach 80 miles away, a man was able to survive 18 hours at sea. The unbelievable incident started when a tourist by the name of Ivan was carried out to sea by strong currents off the Greek island of Kassandra. His terrified friends alerted the Greek coastguard as he was being dragged more and farther from land, and Ivan has subsequently declared lost at sea.
Man Survives 18 Hours At Sea By Clinging On To Football Like Cast Away
By
Haider Ali in
Amazing
On 16th July 2022
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This amazing tale describes how a tourist escaped drowning by relying solely on a small inflatable ball.
The 30-year-old tourist only known as Ivan got into trouble on Saturday when he got caught up in strong currents off the coast of Myti Beach in Kassandra, Greece.
Credit: Newsflash
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Friends who were concerned about Ivan's disappearance informed the coastguard, but Ivan, a native of North Macedonia, was declared lost at sea.
But amazingly, in a story reminiscent of Tom Hanks' movie Cast Away, his life was saved when a child's ball floated toward him in the ocean.
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Up until rescuers discovered him almost 18 hours later, he held on to the ball to help him float.
Ivan was rescued from the ocean on Sunday, and he has since made a full recovery.
Picture: Metro.co.uk
But regrettably, as of yesterday, his friend Martin Jovanovski, who was also carried into the water at the same time, is still missing.
The Greek media has reported Ivan's incredible tale in great detail. He appeared in a photo with the ball, his father, and Anastasia Chalkia, the mayor of Kassandra, which has gone viral.
Credit: Newsflash
By chance, a mother who had seen his account stepped forward to fill in the details of Ivan's survival.
When she saw the ball on TV, she immediately recognized it as the toy that her sons had misplaced ten days before the rescue of the tourist.