Teenage boy lost at sea survives for 49 days before being found

Aldi Novel Adilang, from Indonesia, was rescued just off the coast of Guam after drifting in the ocean for 49 days.

On July 14, Adilang, 19, was swept out to sea after a strong wind snapped the line that secured his fishing raft, called a “rompong,” as reported by People.

The teenager had no way to steer himself back because the raft is not powered by an engine. There are no other instruments to manage its movements as well. Follow us on our Twitter account, @amomama_usa, to learn more.

In an interview with the Associated Press, he said, “I thought I will never meet my parents again, so I just prayed every day.”

After one week in the ocean, Adilang ran out of food, and he just survived by eating fish and drinking seawater he squeezed from his clothing.

Indonesia’s consul general in Japan, Mirza Nurhidayat, told the Jakarta Post, "After he ran out of the cooking gas, he burned the rompong’s wooden fences to make a fire for cooking. He drank by sipping water from his clothes that had been wetted by sea water.”

As reported by the Associated Press, Adilang was required to use a lamp by his employer at night to catch fish during his six-month contract.

The news outlet noted that it's a very lonely job because the rafts are positioned so far out into the ocean.

Adilang was only left with a gas stove, utensils, and a generator. His supplies are usually dropped off once a week.

The teenager explained, “I was on the raft for one month and 18 days. My food ran out after the first week.”

There's also a point that he was followed by a shark.

Adilang was spotted off the coast of Guam by Panamanian-flagged vessel. He alerted the crew using his walkie-talkie.

The crew helped the teenager, and the vessel transported him to Japan. On September 8, he was finally reunited with his family.

Adilang told the Associated Press that he no longer wants to work on a rompong.