According to reports, a man from North Macedonia managed to survive 18 hours at sea by clutching a toy ball lost by two boys on a beach nearly 130 kilometers away, 10 days prior that floated in his direction.
It began when the man who goes by the name of Ivan, a 30-year-old, one of three other men, was swept out to sea by powerful currents off the coast of Kassandra in Greece. His friends alerted the Greek coastguards, who eventually were unable to find him and reported him lost at sea.
The ball kept him afloat until the currents eventually swept Ivan toward the shores of Pilion, the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece.
18 hours later a Greek Air Force chopper that was involved in the rescue effort spotted him. The North Macedonian surprisingly grabbed a small children’s ball that was floating in his direction After worrying he might never be saved, a Greek Reporter claimed that even though the ball was losing air, Ivan was still able to utilize it to breathe and remain afloat despite being tugged by the choppy current.
When they finally managed to rescue Ivan from the water, the crew promptly alerted the Gibraltar-flagged cargo “NORDEROOG” that was passing offshore of Nea Skioni. Then he was taken to safety by a patrol boat of the port authority.
A tourist has survived being swept out to sea thanks to just a small inflatable ball 🌊🏐
Let’s get into it 👇https://t.co/HWmTChvQDf
— Metro (@MetroUK) July 14, 2022
The Daily Mail reported a mother of two who happened to see the toy on Greek television, she stepped forward, the mother said that the toy whose Ivan clinging onto was owned by brothers Tryphon, 11, and Thanos, 6, who were playing with their favorite ball on Evgatis Beach on the Greek island of Lemnos but it was carried away by tides and was lost 10 days earlier.
A man survived 18 hours at sea by holding onto a small inflatable ball. Ivan, 30, was visiting a beach in Greece when a powerful current pulled him out to sea along with a friend on July 10. pic.twitter.com/baF8rn2YaN
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 15, 2022
He told local media the ball helped him float even though it was only partially inflated. First responders in helicopters ultimately found him after 18 hours in open water. pic.twitter.com/uKiWIn0F0n
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 15, 2022
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Sources: Dailywire, Metro, Dailymail
