Young Greek sailor kidnapped by pirates in Togo states his prayers saved him

The 20-year-old Greek sailor who was kidnapped by pirates in Togo for 40 days, Dimitris Giatis stated in a tv interview that his faith in God and constant prayers is what kept him alive during the ordeal.

Giatis and three other crew members were kidnapped from a Greek-owned oil tanker 'Elka Aristotle' off the coast of Togo, Africa in November 2019. He was released on December 13, along with his two other colleagues, one from the Philippines and one from Georgia. The fourth member, a Filipino man, sadly died in captivity.

"The attack took place at 2am. I was sleeping. I heard a knock on the door and opened it. I assumed we had a problem with the power, so I opened the door...I saw a man pointing a gun at my head. At that time you do not think. I was very scared," he recalled during his interview on Skai television program 'Mazi Sou'.

“They put us in a wooden boat that had a motor. There were no lifejackets. Nine heavily-armed pirates were on board, and there were four of us. We were four days at sea for four days...All the days we were there, we prayed, regardless of religion. We were in a miserable state. I was getting strength. Thanks to prayer, I tried and survived,” he continued.

*Watch the video here- 

*Image and video courtesy of Protothema/William Faithful