Woman breastfeeds her two children for four days after shipwreck and dies

A woman, who survived a shipwreck with her two children, was trying to survive, but eventually died after four days of fighting for life in the open sea. 

The incident happened on September 3, but the details of it became known only now, The Independent wrote. 

Eight passengers, including Mariely Chacon and her family (two children and husband), went on a boat trip from the port of Igerota in Venezuela to the uninhabited Caribbean island of La Tortuga. On the way, a giant wave hit the ship, causing it to break into two and sink. The woman and her kids found themselves in the open sea 70 miles far from the shore. 

To save the lives of her children, the woman started to breastfeed them. Mariely Chacon tried to drink her urine to survive, but still died from dehydration and heatstroke. 

Four days later, the six-year-old boy and the two-year-old girl were found in a lifeboat hugging the body of their dead mother. The victims were evacuated to a hospital in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Another survivor was the family's nanny, 25-year-old Veronica Martinez, who was found in an empty refrigerator. The woman was hospitalized with severe dehydration and post-traumatic stress disorder. The search for the father of the children, Remis Clambor, three other passengers and one crew member continues to this day, they have been reported missing.