A man who was rescued Monday after being lost at sea for more than a year is now having his story doubted, reports say.
Jose Salvador Alvarenga, dubbed the "castaway," was found on the shores of Ebon Atoll in the Marshall Islands, wearing nothing but his underwear. The El Salvador native said he survived 13 months adrift at sea after the engine of his boat died.
But skeptics say Alvarenga's story is unbelievable.
"I may have some doubts," Gee Bing, the Marshall Islands acting secretary of foreign affairs, said according to Fox News.
Alvarenga, a shark and shrimp fisherman, said he set out with a partner from Mexico in December 2012. His 24-foot boat engine died and he was blown off coarse. The castaway's partner died, but Alvarenga managed to survive on turtles, fish, birds and urine.
Bing said that Alvarenga was remarkably in good condition, and though he was limping, he did not need assistance walking.
"I'm not sure if I believe his story. When we saw him, he was not really thin compared to other survivors in the past," Bing said, according to the Daily Mirror.
Another contested detail of the castaway's story is his real name. Alvarenga was not carrying any identification when he was found.
In Costa Azul, the place in Mexico where Alvarenga said he fished for a man, residents say they do not know his real name, Fox News reported. Alvarenga lived in Mexico for 15 years, and was called "La Chancha" by the locals, a term referring to those who are heavy-set, Fox News reported.
Officials are still verifying Alvarenga's story and are working with the Mexican government to try and locate the man's family.
Experts say that algae evidence on the side of Alvarenga's boat suggests he was in fact at sea for a while.
"Its hard for me to imagine someone surviving 13 months at sea," said Tom Armbruster, an ambassador for Marshall Islands capital Majuro, Fox News reported. "But it's also hard to imagine how someone might arrive on Ebon out of the blue. Certainly this guy has had an ordeal, and has been at sea for some time."
