Minister Serge Gelle used one of helicopter seats to stay afloat in the sea.
Madagascar Helicopter Crash: "My time to die hasn't come yet," said Madagascan minister Serge Gelle who was one of the two survivors to have swum 12 hours in sea to reach the shore after the helicopter they were flying in crashed off island's northeastern coast on Monday.
Gelle and a fellow policeman miraculously survived the deadly crash that killed at least 39 people, news agency AFP reported quoting Police chief Zafisambatra Ravoavy.
Ravoavy said Gelle, who serves as country's secretary of state for police, used one of the helicopter's seats to stay afloat in the sea after ejecting on time from the ill-fated chopper.
"He has always had great stamina in sport, and he's kept up this rhythm as minister, just like a thirty-year-old. He has nerves of steel," he added.
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