Terrified girl, 17, clings to paddleboard adrift in the Atlantic for 22 hours until miracle rescue by ship’s crew

A DRAMATIC rescue took place to save a girl who got swept out to sea on her paddleboard and was stranded alone for 22 hours. Erica Vicente, 17, was found adrift 28 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean last week after clinging onto her board for dear life in a gruelling experience of survival. NewsflashErica Vincente was paddle boarding when strong winds carried her out to sea[/caption] NewsflashThe teenager survived 22 hours clinging onto her board until she was miraculously discovered[/caption] NewsflashThe freighter crew spotted Erica by chance 28 miles out to sea[/caption] Erica had been practicing her paddle board skills when she suddenly swept out to sea by strong winds of near Monte Gordo in Portugal‘s Algarve region. The terrified 17-year-old was only saved when the crew of a Dutch cargo ship – the MSC Reef – spotted her as they sailed towards Morocco. The crew pulled her aboard the freighter on 15th April at 5.30pm, almost an entire day after she had disappeared. The startling footage captures the moment they carry out the technical operation to rescue her and skilfully carry her to safety. They also managed to communicate with Erica in English to get her details and inform authorities. She is now recovering at the Faro Hospital in the Algarve capital Faro. Clinic boss Horacio Guerreiro said: “She is fine, stable, she is not dehydrated.” He explained that Erica – from Setubal, in Portugal, – was drowsy but had suffered no serious injuries and was on the path to making a full recovery. Guerreiro said: “She is fine, she is accompanied by her mother. I don’t know when she can be discharged, but maybe in 24 or 48 hours if all goes well. “At this stage, the sensitive thing is to see if her kidney function can be maintained, because with hydration there can be problems in terms of brain function, because sometimes if you force the intake of liquids there may be situations of cerebral oedema, but we are not predicting that.” He added: “It’s a short recovery period for someone who has been under extreme stress. She is being monitored, she is accompanied by her mother, and she is fine, and very calm. “I congratulated her on her resistance, she is not very communicative. But she is a tough one. “With so much time at sea, it’s surprising for everyone, this girl is a hero without a doubt.” NewsflashPolice and emergency vehicles had been searching the Algarve beach to find the missing paddleboarder[/caption] NewsflashThe Dutch cargo shop responsible for saving the teen is pictured in the distance[/caption]