Incredible moment missing Brit castaway Mary Gavin waves desperately at passing ship sparking rescue after 5 days at sea
Footage shows Ms Gavin in a life jacket shouting for help after she vanished on a boat she had rented on a Spanish paradise island.
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Footage shows Ms Gavin in a life jacket calling for help
Credit: Solarpix
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She was travelling in a Quicksilver 475 Axess boat when she lost her way in the middle of the sea
Credit: Solarpix
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She was rescued after passengers on a ferry spotted her in the middle of the sea
Credit: Solarpix
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British woman Mary Gavin was rescued over the weekend
Credit: Solarpix
She was rescued alive on Saturday after passengers on a passing ferry headed to Valencia spotted her and raised the alarm.
The 39-year-old Brit was then rushed to a hospital to receive medical treatment.
Emergency rescuers revealed Ms Gavin rented a Quicksilver 475 Axess boat in Formentera before she lost her way in the middle of the sea last week.
Alejandro Rosera, one of the passengers on the ferry that rescued her, said that she was dehydrated and had severe sunburn.
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Ms Rosera added: "When we were about to pass by Formentera, we were told there was an emergency and we had to turn back.
'Later on, we saw a woman on board a small boat. 'She had a life jacket on and another in her hand, making gestures.
"She was dehydrated and sunburnt and had mouth sores.
'Once we got to Valencia, a large number of police and health professionals were waiting for her and assisted her immediately.'
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Police and coastguards started hunting for Ms Gavin last Wednesday - some 36 hours after she vanished after renting the boat from Formentera.
Expert divers were tasked by the Spanish coastguards to scour the depths of the ocean to search for the missing Brit
The Spanish Civil Guard also mobilised helicopters and boats in a bid to find clues about her.
Cops revealed that friends of the Brit woman first raised the alarm after she failed to return from her boating trip.
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'From the time she was reported missing on Wednesday evening, a search operation was launched, and it continued throughout the day," they added.
After rescuing her, a Civil Guard spokesman said: 'The British woman who vanished after renting a boat in Formentera on Tuesday morning has been found alive.
A police source said last week the missing woman had been living on one of the Balearic islands for around two months.
Although it was not immediately clear whether the island is Ibiza or Formentera.
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No more details have been given out by local authorities about what they think went wrong and why the woman ended up adrift in the middle of the sea.
Last year, four people including two Brits were dramatically rescued from a stricken boat after getting lost at sea for four days.
The dehydrated men were found by Spanish authorities some 60 miles off the coast of Tenerife.
They made a Mayday call to alert local ships after being stranded in the sea for days.
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A Panamanian-flagged ship along with a Spanish Civil Guard vessel is said to have responded by heading to the area they were in.
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This is the boat the British woman was travelling in before getting lost
Credit: Solarpix
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He was arrested in Amsterdam on December 14, 2020, before being extradited back to the UK in March 2021 after police obtained a European Arrest Warrant. In February this year, Rothwell pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life and one count of conspiracy to possess ammunition with intent to endanger life. He was also charged with conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class A, namely cocaine; two counts of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and a single count of conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class B, namely ketamine. He pleaded not guilty to five other charges. They were two counts of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent; two counts of conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class A, namely diamorphine and cannabis and a single count of possession of criminal property, namely money. Rothwell had been on trial last year after denying a series of charges. But the case was adjourned after he was attacked in Strangeways prison. Rothwell and his co-defendants, Andrew Ackers, Scott Davies, Craig Makinson, John Moore, James Close, Callum Morris, Zak Rourke, Terence McDonagh and John Stankus are expected to be sentenced tomorrow (Thurs).
