A MAN survived five days on an island abandoned by its inhabitants after he ate two lemons and charcoal.
Nelson Nedy (51), was dragged out to sea after he fell from a rock on a beach in Rio de Janeiro.
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Grumari beach gardener. A huge wave pushed him into the water.
He was swept almost two miles by a strong current and ended up being washed up on Palmas Island.
He said it to Brazilian news outletG1: There was nothing to hide in or to shelter from.
“I had to make a decision to jump in and hunt for another spot.”
Nelson found a cave to rest in the night before setting out to explore the island the next morning.
He was relieved that he had found a makeshift tent abandoned by local fishermen and two lemons on ground.
Nelson stated: “I ate them with the skin and everything so I wouldn’t miss anything.”
He tried to use the blanket he had left behind in his tent to attract attention from people on the mainland coast.
He was unable to be seen by them so he decided to swim back to Grumani beach.
He said, “I reached halfway, but the tide pulled me into the ocean.”
“There was a time when I dropped the body and kept saying, whatever God wants now, he can take me.”
Nelson attempted to make another escape attempt by using a piece styrofoam with plywood as a board. But the current was too strong.
He was hungry and thirsty and tried to drink sea water. After seeing the charcoal being used by monkeys, he also tried eating charcoal.
He said: “But it dried out my mouth even more and got stuck in the tooth.”
Nelson’s luck was up on Saturday when he saw several people riding jet skis near the island.
He waved his shirt frantically at the group who thankfully recognized him.
Nelson was then flown to the mainland and taken to the hospital.
The same day, he was released.
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