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Colombian Navy rescues J'can fishermen after boat caught fire

Published:Sunday | September 16, 2018 | 12:00 AM

BOGOTA, CMC   – Authorities in Columbia are reporting that 28 Jamaican fishermen were rescued yesterday by the Colombian Navy after their fishing boat caught fire.

The Jamaicans were found dehydrated, with some suffering from first and second degree burns, according to the Colombian military.

In an interview with AFP news agency, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Juan Francisco Herrera, said the fishers were travelling on the fishing boat “Real Magic” when it caught fire late Thursday or early Friday.

They reportedly escaped on life rafts, after which the boat’s captain alerted the Jamaican embassy in Colombia, using a satellite phone.

The sailors were eventually found by a ship from Panama that had just left the Panama canal.

Herrera said the sailors who were taken aboard and hydrated, after which they left with a ship from the Colombian Navy.