Miraculous Rescue: Sailor Survives Five-Hour Ordeal in Mediterranean

A sailor was rescued unharmed after falling 18 meters off a commercial ship into the Mediterranean. The 24-year-old Lebanese national was found nearly five hours later with no need for medical attention, thanks to Cypriot authorities and the Panamanian-flagged ship NIVIN's crew. An investigation is ongoing.

A sailor is expressing his gratitude for being rescued unharmed from the Mediterranean early Sunday, nearly five hours after plummeting 18 meters (60 feet) off a commercial ship.

Cypriot authorities reported that the 24-year-old Lebanese national required no medical aid after the Panamanian-flagged vehicles carrier NIVIN retrieved him from the sea.

Cmdr. Andreas Charalambides, head of the Cyprus Search and Rescue Coordination Center, informed The Associated Press that a helicopter was dispatched 185 kilometers (115 miles) southeast of the island following a distress call from the NIVIN about the incident.

Although equipped with night-time heat sensors, the helicopter failed to locate the sailor after scanning a 25 square kilometer (10 square mile) area for almost an hour. It had to return to base for refueling. Cypriot authorities provided the NIVIN with a possible location using computer models based on prevailing currents.

While searching the area in the dead of night, the crew of the ship heard the sailor's cries for help and successfully rescued him.

Charalambides noted that an investigation into the circumstances of the accident is under the jurisdiction of the country under whose flag the ship operates.

(With inputs from agencies.)