Woman rescued after drifting in sea for 37 hours, 80km off Japan coast

THREE KEY FACTS

• A woman was swept out to sea after going for a swim at a beach in Japan
• She was finally spotted by a cargo ship after having spent two nights in the ocean
• Despite having drifted 80km over 37 hours, the woman was not admitted to hospital and appeared to be in good health

A woman who was swept out to sea and drifted for 80km was rescued 37 hours after she went for a swim at a beach in Japan.

On Monday at 7.30pm local time, a 21-year-old Chinese national went for a swim at Japan’s Shirahama Ohama beach 216.7km southwest of Tokyo with a friend when she went missing, officials said.

A Japan Coast Guard official told the Guardian: “It was around 7.55pm on July 8 when we received the information after the woman’s friend reported to a nearby convenience store that she was missing.”

Officials said that a cargo ship finally spotted the unnamed woman, who was wearing an inflatable rubber ring, drifting off the southern tip of Chiba’s Boso peninsula around 37 hours after she went missing.

The Japan Coast Guard released a video of the dramatic rescue, showing an aerial view of a crew member being lowered via a winch cable on to the cargo ship, before retrieving the woman who was wrapped in a pale blue blanket.

WATCH: Japanese Coastguard Rescues Woman Swept Out to Sea After 37 Hours Offshore📍Chiba, Japan |

A woman disappeared while swimming at Shirahama Ohama beach on July 8th, swept away by strong currents. She drifted over 50 miles offshore before being spotted by a cargo ship.… pic.twitter.com/ZSX6OdlYEJ

— Overton (@OvertonLive) July 11, 2024

AP reported that a crew member was relieved the woman had survived the ordeal, even though she appeared exhausted. Many took to social media to express similar sentiments, saying that the woman was “strong” and that “it was a miracle she was found alive”. Others praised her rescuers, calling them “heroes”.

On why she could not return to the beach, the woman told rescuers the inflatable rubber ring she was wearing made swimming back difficult, reported the Guardian.

The woman was reportedly taken to hospital but not admitted after appearing dehydrated but largely in good health.