Three men were rescued by the US Coast Guard off an island in Micronesia after they wrote the word “HELP” using palm leaves.
They were found nine days after they left on a boat trip to Pikelot Island, an uninhabited coral area about 667 kilometers from Guam.
It is the second time in four years that people have been rescued in that place.
The Coast Guard said in a statement that the three sailors were experienced. They had embarked on their boat trip from Polowat Atoll, an island that is part of the Federated States of Micronesia.
They set out on Easter Sunday in a traditional six-metre skiff with an outboard motor.
After they did not return for several days, a family member alerted the Guam Coast Guard, which launched a search mission.
The rescue
Rescuers initially searched an area of more than 78,000 square nautical miles in a period of bad weather conditions.
But they ended up locating the men from the air thanks to the improvised message that said “HELP”.
“In a remarkable testament to their willingness to be found, the sailors spelled ‘HELP’ on the beach using palm fronds, a crucial factor in their being discovered,” said Lt. Chelsea Garcia, who led the mission the day they were found. .
Later, Coast Guard personnel airdrop survival packages and a radio as one of his ships headed towards the island.
The sailors radioed back and said they were in good health and had access to food and water.
They were rescued on April 9.
Micronesiain the western Pacific, is made up of about 600 small islands scattered over a vast oceanic expanse.
Although uninhabited, Pikelot Atoll is often visited temporarily by hunters and fishermen.
In 2020, three Micronesian sailors were saved by the Australian Defense Force after spelling “SOS” on the beach.
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