Man lost at sea survives on ketchup

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published 20 January 2023

A Dominican man lived on tomato ketchup while lost at sea for 24 days, reported the Daily Star. Elvis Francois, 54, was swept out by adverse weather conditions as he repaired a sailboat just off a harbour on the island of St Maarten. “I had no food,” he said. “There was only a bottle of ketchup that was on the boat, garlic powder, and bouillon cubes. So I mixed it up with some water for me to survive 24 days in the sea.” He was rescued after he angled a mirror to catch the sun’s rays and reflect them towards a passing plane, which sent for help.

Library book returned after 58 years

Library staff were “gobsmacked” when a customer returned an overdue book 58 years after it should have been back on the shelves, reported the Express and Star. David Hickman, 76, said he checked out a book called The Law for Motorists from the Dudley Library in 1964, when he was preparing to go to court to defend himself against a minor traffic charge. He was relieved to be told that the library fine of 20p per day – which would tot up to approximately £42,340 – would be waived.