A minister from Madagascar, a country in East Africa, was one of two survivors of a helicopter crash off the island’s coast and swam for nearly 12 hours to reach land, local authorities said on Tuesday (21).
Minister Serge Gelle, the country’s Secretary of State for the Police, and a colleague arrived in the coastal town of Mahambo this Tuesday morning, according to information from the port authority. The searches for two other passengers after the accident that occurred on Monday (20) and whose causes have not yet been determined continue.
In a video posted on social media, Gelle, 57, is looking tired and lying on a lounge chair. “The time to die has not yet come for me,” the general said, adding that he felt cold but had not suffered injuries on the way. He became minister in August after three decades of work in Madagascar’s police.
The crashed helicopter was transporting it along with other authorities to inspect the site of a wreck on the northeast coast of the country. At least 21 people died and more than 60 are missing after the disaster that the minister accompanied at the time of the accident, according to the latest official balance sheet.
The ship, a freighter not authorized to carry people, was overloaded, and water flooded the engine, explained Mamy Randrianavony, director of maritime operations for the Maritime and River Port Agency. There were 130 passengers traveling from Antanambe to Soanierana Ivongo, and 45 were found alive.
Zafisambatra Ravoavy, another police general, told the AFP news agency that Gelle used one of the helicopter’s seats as a buoy. “He always showed a lot of resistance and kept her even as a minister, as if he were 30 years old,” he said. “He has nerves of steel.”
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