Fisherman missing for two weeks in Pacific Ocean found alive

A fisherman who had been missing for nearly two weeks has been found alive floating in a life raft about 110km off the west coast of the US.

Good Samaritans found the fisherman on Thursday, the US Coast Guard Pacific Northwest said in a statement one day after they had suspended their search.

The Canadian rescuers who found him say he caught and ate a salmon to survive.

The man, who was not identified, had left Gray Harbor in Washington state on 12 October on Evening, a 43-foot ship.

Officials did not name the rescuers or how they found him, but King-TV in Seattle identified them as Ryan Planes and his uncle John from Sooke, a town on Vancouver island in British Columbia.

"I saw what looked like a life raft in the distance and ran inside and put the binoculars on him and then he shot off a flare," Ryan told the network.

"We pulled him on board. He gave me a big hug and it was emotional," John continued.

He added that the man told him had been alone on the raft for 13 days, and that he caught a salmon after running out of food.

"We made him breakfast. He drank three bottles of water," he continued. "He was pretty hungry, poor guy."

The man appears to be in stable condition, officials say, and was transported back to shore by the Canadian Coast Guard and another Canadian rescue agency.

According to King-TV, the man was taken to a hospital in Tofino, British Columbia, for further treatment.

The man and another sailor on board the Evening were meant to return on 15 October, officials say.

On Wednesday, the Coast Guard said it was suspending their search pending the development of new information.

The decision was made after crews searched more than 14,000 sq miles for over eight hours.

Another sailor that departed with him has not been found, and the Coast Guard says the incident "remains under investigation".

It is unclear whether they plan to resume the search.

- This story was originally published by the BBC