In Zhejiang Zhoushan, a 60-year-old fisherman went missing after falling into the sea, but miraculously survived and returned home about 11 days later to find that his family had already held a funeral for him.
According to reports from mainland China’s “Urban Express,” the 60-year-old fisherman surnamed Zhang from Luomen in Zhoushan fell into the water late at night on September 2 while on a shrimp trawler and went missing, only to return home suddenly on September 13.
It is understood that on the day of the incident, the waters in the vicinity were affected by the outer edges of a typhoon, causing the shrimp trawler to return to port early. When Zhang did not show up for work at midnight on September 3, his fellow crew members realized he was missing and deduced that he had fallen into the water late at night on September 2.
During Zhang’s time operating at sea amid the rough waves, his family and relevant personnel searched the nearby waters, but despite multiple days of searching, no valid clues were found. As time passed, his family believed he had met with misfortune and ultimately went ahead with the local customs to handle Zhang’s funeral arrangements.
However, around 8 p.m. on September 13, 11 days after going missing, Zhang suddenly returned home. As no one was at home when he arrived, his son was still outside searching for his father’s whereabouts, so the father and son did not meet immediately.
According to nearby residents, Zhang looked fine when he returned home, albeit with a darker skin tone due to prolonged exposure to the sun. Villagers remarked that his return under such circumstances was in itself a miracle.
Currently, the elderly man is resting at home. As for his 11-day ordeal, little is known to the outside world at present. Some villagers speculate that Zhang may have floated to a reef or island following his fall into the water. Mainland media reports that how the elderly fisherman managed to survive remains unknown at this time.