A sailor is rescued at night off Cyprus 5 hours after falling off a vehicle carrier

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A sailor is thanking his lucky stars for being rescued unharmed from the dark waters of the east Mediterranean, nearly five hours after falling 18 meters off a commercial ship. Cypriot authorities say 24-year-old Lebanese needed no medical attention after the Panamanian-flagged vehicles carrier NIVIN plucked him from the sea in the early hours of Sunday. A helicopter was dispatched 185 kilometers southeast of the island nation shortly after sundown when the ship sent a distress call that one of its crew had fallen overboard. The ship found the sailor after authorities directed it to his possible location and crew members heard his screams for help.