Woman Drifts with Swim Ring 80 km for 36 Hours from Izu to Boso Peninsulas: Found Alive with Mild Dehydration

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:07 JST, July 10, 2024

A Chinese woman in her 20s, who went missing Monday while swimming in the sea off the coast of Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, was found and rescued on Wednesday morning in the waters off Minami-Boso, Chiba Prefecture, approximately 80 km away, the Shimoda Coast Guard Office said.

She was slightly dehydrated but not in a life-threatening condition, the office said, adding that she was wearing a swim ring. The office believes that she had been drifting in a current for about 36 hours.

The woman was swimming with a friend at Shirahama Ohama Beach in Shimoda on Monday, before the official opening of the beach, and went missing at around 7:55 p.m. the same day, according to the office, which searched for her but could not find her.

She was found at around 7:50 a.m. on Wednesday, about 11 km off the coast of from Nojimasaki in Minami-Boso. A crew member of a cargo ship that was passing by found her drifting with a swim ring.