Hyoung Park, a visitor to the island who was stranded at sea for more than 24 hours, was located Wednesday afternoon by a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft
A 58-year-old visitor has survived a grueling ordeal at sea after going missing for more than 24 hours.
Hyoung Park was back in the embrace of his family Wednesday night after a successful rescue mission.
It was around 8pm when Mr. Park, wearing a white jumpsuit, walked unassisted from the pilot boat St. George onto the dock at Ordnance Island, following a coordinated transfer from the M/V Aktoras.
Mr. Park expresssed his gratitude for the crew of M/V Aktoras for saving his life and for all the support from Bermuda: “All the team, they gave me a warm heart – they saved my life.
“They gave me a second chance – a second life.”
Mr. Park had been picked up by the tanker approximately 27 nautical miles South of Bermuda after he was spotted by a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft deployed from North Carolina.
The USCG coordinated with the LNG tanker M/V Akoras to collect Mr. Park from the open ocean; he had been stranded in his life vest and two-seater, blue kayak.
Bermuda Broadcasting was told that Mr. Park was seen waving to the aircraft.
He paddled to the vessel and was hoisted onto the ship from a pilot ladder.
Mr. Park received treatment in the ship’s medical bay and was transferred to a rendezvous point three miles off St. David’s Island.
The pilot boat collected Mr. Park from the M/V Aktoras and brought him back to land, to be transferred to King Edward Memorial Hospital VII by ambulance.
Before climbing into the ambulance, he told Bermuda Broadcasting that things might have ended very differently: “I was thinking about the next step, the tide going to South Africa or wherever if I survive. At that moment, God listened to me, and an airplane is coming.”
RCC Bermuda had launched a small boat on Tuesday and requested air support from Coast Guard Air Station at Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
The C-130 aircraft conducted search patterns within the area, through the night, with an RCC Bermuda pilot boat on standby.
According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard, the C-130 conducted first light searches and reported sight of individual approximately 27nm south of Bermuda.
The individual was reported to be alert and onboard the kayak.
The Bermuda Police Service confirmed Mr. Park was located by the C-130 around 1:45pm this afternoon. The U.S. Coast Guard worked alongside the BPS, the Royal Bermuda Regiment and Marine and Ports.
The U.S. Consul General, Anotionette Hurtado expressed relief after the rescue: “We are so pleased for the family that the search resulted in Mr. Park’s safe return.
“This was a wonderful example of the strong collaboration between Bermuda and U.S. maritime entities, and we congratulate all the authorities on their tireless efforts toward this positive resolution.”
The Reefs Resort & Hotel, where Mr. Park is a guest, said in a statement: “We extend our sincere thanks to the first responders for their tireless efforts, professionalism, and care throughout the search operation, and to our guests and the community for their understanding and compassion over the past two days.
“Mr. Park and his family are, and have been, receiving our full support, and we ask that their privacy continue to be respected as they take time to recover.”
WATCH our report about the rescue, the lead story from Wednesday’s evening news:
