Effiong Eton: Shipwrecked Sailors Rescued After HELP Sign Is Spotted From The Air

Sunday 10 April 2016

Shipwrecked Sailors Rescued After HELP Sign Is Spotted From The Air

THREE shipwrecked sailors were resued from a remote, uninhabited Pacific island after spelling out HELP with palm leaves.

The trio had been stranded for three days after their vessel was overturned by a large wave, forcing them to swim two miles to shore at night.

They were rescued by the US Navy and Coast Guard after a passing plane spotted the message and notified the authorities on Tuesday morning.

A local boat picked up the relieved sailors from the Fanadik Island in Micronesia and returned them home to Pulap on Thursday.

The Coast Guard regularly carries out rescue operations in the area due to a lack of local capacity.

“Our combined efforts coupled with the willingness of many different resources to come together and help, led to the successful rescue of these three men in a very remote part of the Pacific,” said Lt. William White, Sector Guam public affairs officer in a statement.

Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooer said they had carried out seven seperate search and rescue missions in the area since March 28.