Man Survives Helicopter Crash, 2 Days Afloat In Lake Before Being Rescued

Searchers have rescued a man who had been clinging to floating plants in a lake in Indonesia for more than two days after the helicopter in which he was traveling crashed into the water.

Fransiskus Subihardayan, 22, had stripped down to his underwear and entwined himself in the

volcanic lake's water hyacinths in his efforts to keep afloat, said Bambang Supriyadi, an official from Indonesia's national search and rescue agency.

The other four people aboard the helicopter also survived the crash Sunday and had initially been in the water with Fransiskus, he told search and rescue officials. But they gradually became separated, leaving him hanging onto the hyacinths alone in Lake Toba, in North Sumatra province.

A search team found Fransiskus waving amid the plants early on Tuesday afternoon and took him to a local hospital. Supriyadi on Wednesday described the survivor's condition as weak but somewhat better than when he was first discovered.

He suffered no major injuries during his ordeal, with only some small sores on his feet, the official said.