Young woman was saved after 20 hours at sea by a cargo ship, 25 miles off shore

The rescue operation of the young woman found on the high seas by a merchant ship off the coast of Algarve, after being dragged by the wind, involved various means of the Portuguese Air Force (FAP) for about three hours.

A plane from Squadron 502 and an EH-101 Merlin helicopter from Squadron 751, both from Air Base No. 6, in Montijo, were involved in the search and rescue operations, the Air Force stated.

The young woman disappeared around 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, swept away by the wind, when she was paddling at Praia do Coelho, in Monte Gordo, in the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António.

She was found alive more than 20 hours later, around 18:00 on Sunday, 25 miles (about 46 kilometers) south of Vila Real de Santo António, by a merchant ship sailing on its way to Tânger, in Morocco.

According to the FAP, the young woman was rescued from the ship by Esquadra 751 “Pumas” of the FAP 37 kilometers from the Algarve coast and 56 kilometers from Faro.

“Already inside the aircraft, the military aeronautical nurse on board monitored vital signs and provided first aid,” revealed that branch of the armed forces.

The young woman was then transported to the Faro Hospital where she is under observation, her condition being considered stable.

According to the clinical director of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Algarve (CHUA), the young woman is somewhat prostrate, “as is natural, after so long without food, exposed to the sun and with stress, but she is fine, she is stable, she is not dehydrated” .