Castaway Jose Ivan Alvarengo claims to have survived 13 months adrift in a damaged boat through turtles, birds and urine

The man, who says he is Jose Ivan Alvarengo, 37, came ashore on a remote coral atoll in the Marshall Islands group in a badly damaged 8m fibreglass boat.

Alvarengo last night told The Telegraph from his hospital bed of his rescue.

"I had just killed a bird to eat and saw some trees," he said. "I cried, 'Oh, God.' I got to land and had a mountain of sleep. In the morning, I woke up and heard a rooster and saw chickens and saw a small house. I saw two native women screaming and yelling. I didn't have any clothes; I was only in my underwear, and they were ripped and torn."

After appealing for help, he told a tale of survival involving living of fish and turtles while trapping as much rainwater as he could. When he had none left, he relied on his own urine and seagull blood, he said.

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