A German adventurer, who had not been seen for 7 years, was found mummified on his yacht which was left floating around the globe.
The body of Manfred Fritz Bajorat, 59, was discovered by two fishermen at the weekend drifting off the coast of the Philippines, The Mirror reports.
Hauntingly, his badly decomposed corpse was found propped up against his radio telephone, as if he was desperately trying to make a final mayday call from his 40ft luxury yacht.
Although it is unclear how long the adventurer had been dead for, there have been no reported sightings of him since 2009.
Barobo police reported that fishermen spotted the vessel floating with a destroyed sail in the Pacific Ocean last Friday, before manning the yacht and finding Mr Bajorat’s body.
However, the cause of death remains unclear, but it’s known that he broke up with his wife in 2008, and she later died from cancer.
World sailor and friend of Mr Bajorat, Dieter, told German newspaper BILD: “He was a very experienced sailor. I don’t believe he would have sailed into a storm. I believe the mast broke after Manfred was already dead.”
His corpse was taken for autopsy in Butuan City.
Dr Mark Benecke, a forensic criminologist in Germany, told BILD: “The way he is sitting seems to indicate that death was unexpected, perhaps from a heart attack.”
In Manilla, the German Embassy is working with local officials to trace his relatives.
