A Chinese woman who was swept out to sea while swimming at a Japanese beach was rescued 37 hours later after drifting in an inflatable swim ring more than 50 miles in the Pacific Ocean, officials said Thursday.
Japan’s coast guard launched a search for the woman, identified only as a Chinese national in her 20s, after receiving a call Monday night from her friend saying she had disappeared while swimming at Shimoda, about 125 miles southwest of Tokyo.
She was likely carried out to sea by a current and an evening seaward wind from the mountains, and her swim ring made it more difficult to move against the wind, experts said.
The woman was spotted by a cargo ship early Wednesday, about 36 hours after she disappeared off the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula, the coast guard said.
The cargo ship asked a passing LPG tanker, the Kakuwa Maru No. 8, to assist. Two of its crew members jumped into the sea and rescued the woman, officials said. She was then airlifted by a coast guard helicopter to safety.
In a video released by the Japanese coast guard, the woman—dry and wrapped in a pale blue blanket—stood on the deck of the tanker with a crew member standing by her in case she lost her balance, while others watched silently. A coast guard helicopter hovered above. Once she was securely attached to a rope, she was hoisted into the chopper, and she waved at the tanker crew before leaving.
Crew members of the tanker who assisted in the rescue told TV Asahi that they shouted to the woman not to give up as she bobbed up and down in waves about 6.5 feet high. Two of them jumped into the water and tied a rope around her, while others pulled her up to the tanker.
One crew member mentioned that everyone was relieved the woman survived, even though she seemed to be exhausted.
Social media was abuzz with messages praising the crew members who assisted in the rescue as “heroes,” applauding their swift action, while others celebrated the woman’s perseverance and survival in good health.
The woman was slightly dehydrated but in good health and walked away after being examined at a nearby hospital, officials said.
The coast guard noted she had drifted more than 50 miles and was fortunate to have survived, considering the potential dangers of heat stroke, hypothermia at night, or being struck by a ship in the dark.
Hidetoshi Saito, a senior member of the Society of Water Rescue and Survival Research, described the woman’s survival as “a miracle” during a televised interview.
The Chinese Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday acknowledged the woman’s safe rescue, noting cooperation with the Chinese Consulate, Japanese authorities, and the crews of the cargo ship and tanker. The embassy urged Chinese residents in Japan to check weather and maritime conditions, exercise caution when visiting the beach or engaging in marine activities, and to choose locations staffed by lifeguards.
