A teenager has been rescued nearly 30 miles out to sea on a paddleboard, 21 hours after she went missing on an Algarve beach.
17-year-old Erica Vicente cheated death after being spotted by a container ship waiting for permission to enter the Moroccan port of Tangier.
A massive rescue operation was launched to find her after a gust of wind carried her out to sea while she was enjoying the last day of her vacation on a beach in Monte Gordo near Portugal’s southern border with Spain.
She ran into trouble around 8pm on Saturday and was rescued, conscious but suffering from hypothermia, after being helped by MSC Reef around 5.30pm yesterday.
At that point she was 25 nautical miles out to sea – the equivalent of nearly 29 land miles.
Erica Vicente, 17, cheated death after being spotted by a container ship waiting for permission to enter the Moroccan port of Tangier
The Portuguese Air Force has released footage showing Erica, better known by her nickname Kika, being carried onto a stretcher so she can be taken off MSC Reef
At that point she was 25 nautical miles out to sea – the equivalent of nearly 29 land miles
The crew of the ship, which flies the flag of Liberia, contacted the Portuguese authorities with the good news that she had been found safe and sound.
Today, Portugal’s National Maritime Authority confirmed the rescue when police chiefs revealed that her father had told them he felt his daughter was “born again” and that she could be released from hospital in 24 to 48 hours.
It said in a statement: ‘The 17-year-old girl who had been missing at sea since April 15 was found alive after entering the water on a stand-up paddle board and unable to paddle back to swim. landing on the beach of Coelho in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António.
“Following a warning received by a merchant ship, informing that they had found the missing girl 25 nautical miles south of Vila Real de Santo António, a ship belonging to the local command of the Vila Real de Santo António Maritime Police and the Portuguese naval vessel NRP Orion was immediately dispatched to the scene.
“The young woman was severely hypothermic and the support of the Portuguese Air Force aircraft was called in to transport her to Faro airport, where an ambulance was waiting.”
The Portuguese Air Force has released footage showing Erica, better known by her nickname Kika, being carried onto a stretcher so she can be taken off MSC Reef.
A spokesman for the hospital she was taken to said she could be discharged within 24 hours.
Horacio Guerreiro said: ‘She has endured a lot of time without food or drink, exposed to the sun and on the street, but she is fine, she is stable.
“It takes a survival instinct to get through this kind of situation. She is without a doubt a heroine.’
Elsa Rocha, the doctor who led the medical team that assisted Erica, added: ‘She is a real fighter. She arrived at the hospital exhausted and a little confused, but that’s normal after 20 hours at sea on a paddleboard.
“When she arrived at the hospital, she was no longer dehydrated or hypothermic.
“This shows how great people can be.”
The teen at the center of the amazing rescue is from Azeitao near Setubal, an hour’s drive south of Lisbon.
A local police chief said her father jumped into the water and tried to save his daughter after seeing her drift out to sea but was unable to tow her back to shore.
Searches took place along the southern Spanish coast and in Portugal before the warning that she had been found.
Afonso Martins, chief of the maritime police at the port of Vila Real de Santo Antonio, said: “The father’s reaction when he was told his daughter had been rescued was that of someone who saw her born again.”
A massive rescue operation was launched to find her after a gust of wind carried her out to sea as she enjoyed the last day of her vacation on a beach in Monte Gordo near Portugal’s southern border with Spain
She ran into trouble around 8pm on Saturday and was rescued, conscious but suffering from hypothermia, after being helped by MSC Reef around 5.30pm yesterday
