Madagascar’s police minister and an air force mechanic managed to swim for 12 hours after their helicopter crashed in the Indian Ocean.
According to officials, the Gendarmerie’s secretary of state, General Serge Gele, 57, was discovered in the water in a canoe by a fisherman who had brought him to shore.
Another passenger, Chief Warrant Officer Jimmy Laitsara, also swam to the beach in Mahmbo.
It is with great sadness that I came to know about the sinking of a ship and its terrible toll from Antsiraka. My condolences are with the victims and their bereaved loved ones.
I sincerely pray for the rest of his soul. pic.twitter.com/nZzJsaYMtL
— Andrey Rajoelina (@SE_Rajoelina) December 21, 2021
“It’s not my turn to die yet, thank goodness. I’m fine. I’m just cold,” Gail said in a video posted on Twitter by Madagascar’s Defense Ministry. “But I’m sad because I don’t Know if my friends are alive or not.”
Gail appeared in a lounge chair, still in his military camouflage, his hands pale and wrinkled by the water and cold.
“There were four of us on the plane. I was sitting behind the pilot,” he said of Monday evening’s accident.
“Not having a life jacket, I unbuttoned the seat and used it as a buoy. I remained calm and took off any heavy items like my shoes and belt. I did everything to stay alive,” he said. Gayle said he expected to be back at work in 24 hours, adding that his cell phone was lost in the accident.
Read also: Man swims in the sea with dolphins. You will like this video going viral
On Wednesday afternoon, rescue workers recovered the body of Colonel Olivier Andrianambinina, the director of security for the prime minister. The pilot is missing.
Many in Madagascar praised Gayle’s achievement, calling him a “hero” on social media, an “extraordinary athlete” and “an example to follow”.
Officials said the cause of the helicopter crash “is yet to be ascertained.” Gele said gusts of wind had destabilized the plane. The pilot of the helicopter and another passenger are still missing.
The helicopter was one of two people flying a government delegation to visit the site where a boat, Francia, sank, carrying at least 83 people on board.
More bodies were recovered on Wednesday from the island of Sainte-Marie in the north-east of the country, according to officials. Fifty people have survived and five people are missing.
The small cargo ship sank on Monday when it was illegally carrying 138 people, according to a statement by the Maritime and River Port Agency on Wednesday.
Efforts are still on to recover more than 20 missing people, the agency said.
Francia Sonierana sank about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the town of Ivongo early on Monday.
“The flooding in the engine room caused the carnage. Apparently, the boat had exceeded its loading capacity,” said Maurice Tianzara, deputy director general of the maritime agency.
Read also: Flight MH370 pilot may be in control by the end, new revelations reveal