Fishermen leave island happy, hungry after maritime ordeal

The three fishermen rescued after surviving for nearly four days in a capsized boat off Hachijojima Island last month were discharged from hospital Saturday, local officials on the island said.

Second chance: Takamitsu Nyubara, one of the three fishermen rescued last week from a capsized boat, is reunited with his family Saturday in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. KYODO PHOTO

The three fishermen — Moriyoshi Utsunomiya, 57, from Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, Masao Hayakawa, 38, from Osaka, and Takamitsu Nyubara, 33, from Shizuoka — left the island on a Japan Coast Guard helicopter for the port of Shimoda.

"No words can describe the happiness that I'm feeling now," Nyubara said at a news conference in Shimoda after leaving the hospital. "All I could think of (while drifting) was how I was going to die."

Nyubara said he and the other crew members trapped in the cabin feared the air would run out.

According to the three survivors, the cabin was in total darkness, even during the daytime. On the last day of their ordeal they almost passed out, they said.

"I had almost given up hope," Hayakawa said. "The waves were rough outside and we were shaken for hours on end."

Meanwhile, Utsunomiya, who was mostly silent at the news conference, finally spoke up when a reporter asked him what he wants to do next.

"I want to eat something delicious," he said.

The three were rescued from the 19-ton Kofuku Maru No. 1 fishing boat after being trapped in a small space inside the hull.

The boat flipped over at around 8 p.m. on Oct. 24 while sailing back to Shimoda to escape an approaching typhoon.

The fishermen are in good physical health and have good appetites, the officials said. They were approved for discharge after passing their checkups on Friday, the officials said.

The three said they spent about 90 hours in the small pocket of air, according to people who visited them at the hospital.