A Swedish man somehow survived without food for two months in sub-zero
temperatures after being stranded in his snow-covered car, authorities
say.
Peter Skyllberg, 44, is "awake and able to communicate" after being pulled from his car on a deserted forest road on Friday, The Guardian newspaper reported on Sunday.
Skyllberg, who told authorities he had been stuck in his car since Dec. 19, says he survived only by eating snow.
“He was in a very poor state when we found him," police officer Ebbe Nyberg told reporters. "He could not speak, just a few broken sentences and the words, 'snow ... eat.'”
Experts are baffled by Skyllberg's tale. Some believe he went into a kind of state of hibernation.
"A bit like a bear that hibernates. Humans can do that," Dr. Stefan Branth told the Swedish newspaper Vasterbottens-Kuriren. "He probably had a body temperature of around 31 degrees (Celsius) which the body adjusted to. Due to the low temperature, not much energy was used up."
Another doctor said the snow-covered car may have served as "the equivalent of an igloo."
"Igloos usually have a temperature of a couple of degrees below zero C (32F) and if you have good clothes you would survive in those temperatures and be able to preserve your body temperature," Dr. Ulf Segerberg told The Guardian. "Obviously he has managed to preserve his body temperature or he wouldn't have made it because us humans can't really stand being cooled down like reptiles, for instance, which can change the body temperature."
Two months is the "upper limit" of how long someone can survive without food, Segerberg said. "This is the case of a lifetime," he told The Independent.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayPeter Skyllberg, 44, is "awake and able to communicate" after being pulled from his car on a deserted forest road on Friday, The Guardian newspaper reported on Sunday.
Skyllberg, who told authorities he had been stuck in his car since Dec. 19, says he survived only by eating snow.
“He was in a very poor state when we found him," police officer Ebbe Nyberg told reporters. "He could not speak, just a few broken sentences and the words, 'snow ... eat.'”
Experts are baffled by Skyllberg's tale. Some believe he went into a kind of state of hibernation.
"A bit like a bear that hibernates. Humans can do that," Dr. Stefan Branth told the Swedish newspaper Vasterbottens-Kuriren. "He probably had a body temperature of around 31 degrees (Celsius) which the body adjusted to. Due to the low temperature, not much energy was used up."
Another doctor said the snow-covered car may have served as "the equivalent of an igloo."
"Igloos usually have a temperature of a couple of degrees below zero C (32F) and if you have good clothes you would survive in those temperatures and be able to preserve your body temperature," Dr. Ulf Segerberg told The Guardian. "Obviously he has managed to preserve his body temperature or he wouldn't have made it because us humans can't really stand being cooled down like reptiles, for instance, which can change the body temperature."
The man, who was laying in the back seat in a sleeping bag, said he had been in the car since December 19.
"Just
incredible that he's alive considering that he had no food, but also
since it's been really cold for some time after Christmas," a rescue
team member told regional daily Vasterbottens-Kuriren, which broke the
news.
Ebbe
Nyberg, duty officer at the Umea police, said police saw no reason to
doubt that the man had been stuck in the car for a very long time.
"We
would not make something like this up. The rescue services were on site
too and saw the same as us," he told Vasterbottens-Kuriren.
Two months is the "upper limit" of how long someone can survive without food, Segerberg said. "This is the case of a lifetime," he told The Independent.
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Na wash
ReplyDeleteCan't help imagining what would happen if we suddenly had snowfall in Nigeria :/
ReplyDeleteDon't even imagine it. If snow falls in Nigeria, there wont be movement for @least 4days if its a 3inch snow, if its more than that, then 7days.. lol
ReplyDelete