Four Europe-bound Nigerian stowaways rescued in Brazil after surviving 14 days on a ship’s rudder

Four stowaways have been rescued off the southeast coast of Brazil after spending 14 days at sea hidden in the hull of a ship from Nigeria.

The men traveled from the coast of Africa to Brazil in the so-called wheelhouse area of the vessel, close to the propeller. Reuters report that on their 10th day at sea, the four Nigerian stowaways crossing the Atlantic in a tiny space above the rudder of a cargo ship ran out of food and drink.

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They revealed that they survived another four days by drinking the sea water before being rescued by Brazilian federal police in the south-eastern port of Vitoria.

“It was a terrible experience for me,” said 38-year-old Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, one of the four Nigerians, in an interview at a São Paulo church shelter. “On board it is not easy. I was shaking, so scared. But I’m here.”