00:02Extensively. Extensively I prayed. I prayed a lot, a lot. Because I told her, I said thanks to God, to
00:11Jehovah God, that he was the one in terms of having me to come out from that forest safely. It
00:19wasn't easy. It was not easy, but...
00:22It was faith and a strong will to survive that fuelled 57-year-old Ruthven Atkinson to keep moving through
00:31the dense forest of Buncey Tree Spinal over the weekend.
00:35For over 24 hours, the retired police sergeant trekked through difficult terrain, falling countless times, no food, no water, and
00:46no sign of civilization,
00:48an ordeal which all began when his church visited the Buncey Tree's mud volcano on Saturday morning.
00:56Well, on that mud volcano, I had a ball over time. A bear, a bear, a bear.
01:04And a guy there ended up telling us that, hey, you know you could go to the sea within 30
01:10minutes.
01:1230 minutes you could reach the sea. I said, well, are you taking up the challenge?
01:17Of the 25 people in their group, around 15, he says, decided to find the beach.
01:24But the group was too slow for me. So I decided to push on in front, all by myself.
01:32And I went roaming through this bush, moving towards the sea.
01:37Next day, you know, darkness ended up coming on me, easy, easy like that, you know.
01:41I said, but wait, it's lost and lost here, you know.
01:43He says, still covered in mud, he made a mattress with leaves, but got no sleep.
01:49He just waited till first light, and then attempted to find his way to a shoreline as a way out.
01:56He says by late afternoon on Sunday, he found the sea, took a bath to wash off Saturday's volcanic mud,
02:04and began walking along the beachfront until he heard what sounded like a gunshot.
02:10Why did I go to the forest? Not a fruit tree. Not a, I was looking for a cane, like
02:16a cane, a cane? Not a cane to suck.
02:20Not at all, but I mean, I was dehydrated, I was already dehydrated, but I continued walking.
02:26I ended up hearing two more shots, ring out. I said, nah boy, something, something, something taking place.
02:34Next thing I know, is a whole contingent of police ended up coming on me.
02:40Hey, Atkinson! Boy, you're alone looking for you, boy!
02:42He was given water and two buns to eat, then taken for medical attention.
02:48Atkinson says he's sorry to have worried so many people, as he knows far too often incidents like this don't
02:57end well.
02:58In good spirit and surrounded by loved ones on Tuesday, he shared this advice to others.
03:04My advice is, as regards to what I've been told by my kids and them there, they say, stay with
03:11the group!
03:14When you stay with the group, you would not have, you would not have, you would not have lost.
03:19Cindy Ragubatika Singh, TV6 News.
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