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'Cast Away' Is Real: Man reaches land after 16 months in Pacific

Comparisons to the Tom Hanks mostly-silent film Cast Away are inevitable now that a shipwrecked man reached land on a Pacific atoll after 16 months adrift.

Comparisons to the Tom Hanks mostly-silent film Cast Away are inevitable now that a shipwrecked man reached land on a Pacific atoll after 16 months adrift.

According to The Telegraph, Jose Ivan reportedly set sail from Mexico, headed for El Salvador in September of 2012 with a companion said to have died at sea several months ago.

Details of his survival are sketchy, Ms Fjeldstad added, as the man only speaks Spanish, but he said his name was Jose Ivan.

"The boat is really scratched up and looks like it has been in the water for a long time," said the researcher. "He has a long beard and hair."

Mr Ivan indicated to Ms Fjeldstad that he survived by eating turtles, birds and fish and drinking turtle blood when there was no rain.

No fishing gear was on the boat and Mr Ivan suggested he caught turtles and birds with his bare hands. There was a turtle on the boat when it landed at Ebon.

Of course, the only plane that could land on Ebon to take the dude home is out of service until at least Tuesday, so he's stuck on the island and living with a local family as they try to figure out how to get him out of there. They're considering sending in a boat, which he'll undoubtedly be thrilled about.

"He's staying at the local council house and a family is feeding him," said Ms Fjeldstad, who added that the man had a basic health check and was found to have low blood pressure.

But he did not appear to have any life-threatening illness and was able to walk with the aid of men on the island.

Eat your heart out, Bear Grylls. [Telegraph]