Vietnamese rescue Florida man who drifted for 8 days on disabled yacht

HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnamese fishermen have rescued an American man who had been drifting at sea for eight days on a disabled yacht.

Coastguard official Vo Hoang Liet from southern Soc Trang province said Monday that Kenneth Putney of Melbourne, Florida, was in good condition after being rescued Thursday.

Liet says Putney, 54, told Vietnamese authorities that he and three others were towing a yacht from the Philippines to Thailand when the towing rope broke on Dec. 15.

He says Putney jumped onto the yacht because he feared it would be lost.

Liet says Putney drifted on the yacht for eight days before being rescued by the fishermen 15 miles off the coast.

Putney will be handed over to U.S. embassy. Liet did not say what happened to the other vessel.