Stranded sailors rescued after making 'HELP' sign with leaves
A sign calling for "HELP" made from palm tree leaves saved a crew of sailors who had been stranded on a tiny atoll in the Pacific Ocean for more than a week.
A "HELP" sign made from palm tree leaves saved three sailors stranded on a tiny Pacific atoll for more than a week, after the U.S. Coast Guard spotted it from the sky.
The three men were found Tuesday evening on the minute Pikelot Atoll, which is part of the Federated States of Micronesia. They had been surviving on coconuts.
The trio, who have not been identified but are all in their 40s and related to one another, used palm tree branches to make their desperate plea. They were rescued after coordination by the U.S. Coast Guard stationed in the region and the U.S Navy.
The sailors had traveled on Easter Sunday from Polowat Atoll, around 115 miles away, in a traditional 20-foot skiff with an outboard motor, the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The Coast Guard's Joint Rescue Sub-Center in Guam got a distress call from a woman who said her three uncles were missing and they had not returned from Pikelot Atoll.
Rating: 5