Three Micronesian sailors stranded on a remote Pacific island have been found alive and well after a rescue team spotted their giant SOS message written into the sand on a beach.
Australian and US military aircraft found the three men on tiny Pikelot island, nearly 200km west of where they had set off.
Rescuers said that the men were “in good condition” with no significant injuries.
Photo: EPA-EFE / COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA 2020
The men had been missing for three days after their 7m skiff ran out of fuel and strayed off course.
Authorities in the US territory of Guam raised the alarm on Saturday after the men failed to complete a 42km trip from Puluwat to Pulap atolls.
Australia’s HMAS Canberra was sailing between Australia and Hawaii when it received the call for help.
On Sunday, a helicopter from the Canberra spotted the giant SOS message, close to a small makeshift shelter on the beach, and it landed on the tiny island to check the men’s condition and give them food and water.
“I am proud of the response and professionalism of all on board as we fulfil our obligation to contribute to the safety of life at sea wherever we are in the world,” said Captain Terry Morrison, the Canberra’s commanding officer.
A Micronesian patrol vessel was sailing to the island to pick up the men.
The Federated States of Micronesia, in the western Pacific, consist of more than 600 small islands scattered over a massive expanse of ocean.
Pikelot Island, less than 500m long, is a heavily forested low coral atoll.
The uninhabited island is home to a seabird rookery and turtle nesting site.
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