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Brazilian fisherman survives 11 days at sea alone inside floating freezer

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A Brazilian fisherman is thanking a floating freezer for saving his life.

Romualdo Macedo Rodrigues says he's lucky to be alive after he spent 11 days alone at sea floating inside a cooler after his boat sank off the coast of Brazil, Record TV reported.

Rodrigues told the news outlet that he set out for a 3-day fishing trip last month when he noticed his boat was sinking.

As the vessel went down, he saw the freezer and jumped inside it, the news outlet reported.

For 11 days, Rodrigues, who doesn't know how to swim, floated alone in the Atlantic Ocean without food or water.

He told the news outlet that sharks surrounded the freezer, and water began seeping into the cooler, but he never gave up hope that he would be rescued.

According to Record TV, on the 11th day, he heard a boat, so he stuck his arms so they could see him.

The news outlet reported that a group of fishermen found him off the coast of Suriname.

The media outlet reported that he was treated at a hospital and detained by officials for a few days because he didn't have the proper documentation.

But he was later released and has since returned home to be with his family, Return TV reported.