Chinese Woman Rescued After 37 Hours Adrift in Pacific Ocean

A Chinese woman in her 20s was rescued 37 hours after being swept out to sea while swimming at a Japanese beach. She had drifted more than 50 miles in the Pacific Ocean, clinging to a swimming ring.

The Japan Coast Guard initiated a search for the woman after receiving a call from her friend on Monday night. Her friend reported that she had disappeared while swimming at Shimoda, a beach located approximately 125 miles southwest of Tokyo.

The woman was spotted by a cargo ship early Wednesday morning, about 36 hours after her disappearance, off the southern tip of Boso Peninsula.

The cargo ship contacted a passing LPG tanker, the Kakuwa Maru No. 8, for assistance. Two crew members from the tanker jumped into the sea and rescued the woman. She was subsequently airlifted to land by a Coast Guard helicopter.

While slightly dehydrated, the woman was in good health and was released after a medical examination at a nearby hospital.

The Coast Guard stated that she had drifted over 50 miles and was fortunate to survive despite the risks of heat stroke in the sun, hypothermia at night, or being hit by a ship in the darkness.