'We boil seawater to drink' - Seven fishermen stranded for over a week cry for help from deep sea

Seven fishermen missing at sea for more than a week have made contact by phone, saying their canoe, Second Chance, is stranded far offshore after an engine failure and that passing ships have ignored their distress calls.

Kwame Akyim, one of the crew, spoke by phone to TV3 News reporter, Abraham Mensah, describing days adrift without proper food or help.

Mr. Akyim said the trouble began when the canoe's engine gave out far from shore. "We had an engine failure with the outboard motor," he said.

What followed was a drift into open water. "We got carried beyond 120 nautical miles. The tides were high at sea, so we drifted," Akyim recounted.

The crew did not give up, however, and used canvas to improvise a way out. "We managed to use some canvas to move our vessel out of the deep sea," he said.

Survival has since depended on what the sea could provide. Mr. Akyim said the men have gone without a proper meal for more than a week.

"We haven't had a decent meal for over a week. We had to feed on the fish we had caught. We have been praying since," he said.

Even drinking water has required ingenuity. "We boil seawater and drink it," he explained.

Despite the hardship, Mr. Akyim said the crew's health has held. "We are all doing well. Just one of the crew had a stomach ache, but he is stable," he assured.

His greatest concern, he said, is that no help has come. Distress calls have gone unanswered, even as vessels pass within sight.

"No one is responding to our call," he lamented. "Ships move past us and do not heed our distress call," he added.

The seven men aboard the vessel are: Kwame Akyim, 42; Uncle Amoah, 27; Kobina Koom, 38; Emma, 39; Oboy, 28; Kwamena, 40; and Abodwe, 38.

The crew are currently awaiting rescue by the Ghana Naval Command.