WESTPORT, Wash. — One of two people aboard a vessel that went missing in mid-October was found alive in a life raft on Thursday, Oct. 26.
The 43-foot vessel Evening departed Westport in Grays Harbor County on Oct. 12. It reportedly intended to return Oct. 15, according to the United States Coast Guard.
On Thursday, one of the fishermen was found in a life raft by good Samaritans approximately 70 miles northwest of Cape Flattery.
"I saw what looked like a life raft in the distance and ran inside and put the binoculars on him and then he shot off a flare," said Ryan Planes, one of the people who helped save the fisherman.
Ryan Planes and his uncle John, who are from Sooke, British Columbia, were out early with friends on a fishing excursion that turned into a rescue mission.
"We pulled him on board. He gave me a big hug and it was emotional," John said.
John said the fisherman told him that he was alone on the raft for 13 days, eventually running out of food and water. He told the men that he caught a salmon and ate it to survive.
"We made him breakfast. He drank three bottles of water. He was pretty hungry, poor guy," John said.
It was fate that sent John to the exact spot where the life raft was. He wanted to catch more fish and knew that was a good spot to go.
With the help of the Canadian Coast Guard, the fisherman was taken to a hospital in Tofino where he is recovering.
The second fisherman who was aboard vessel Evening remains missing, according to the Coast Guard.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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