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Heinz locates man who survived on ketchup while stuck at sea

Heinz launched a social media campaign to help locate Elvis Francois after learning he survived on ketchup while stuck at sea for 24 days.
Heinz Ketchup bottles on display at a store
Posted at 5:06 PM, Feb 27, 2023
and last updated 2023-02-27 17:06:35-05

Heinz claims it has located a man who survived on ketchup and spices while stuck at sea. 

The company initiated a social media campaign to track down the man after the Colombian military shared his story.

Elvis Francois was rescued in December after someone noticed he had written "HELP" on the hull of his boat.

The military says Francois, who is of Dominican descent, told them that he was making repairs to the sailboat when changing weather conditions dragged it out to the open sea. 

Francois was stuck at sea for 24 days before he was located 120 nautical miles away from Puerto Bolívar in the Caribbean Sea, according to the Colombian military.

Heinz said it reached out to the government of Dominica and the Colombian Navy to help locate Francois. 

The company said it wanted to celebrate Francois' safe return home and help him buy a new boat.

On Monday, Heinz announced it it made contact with Francois with the help of an "incredible group effort across six continents."