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After using palm fronds to spell out the word “HELP” on a sandy beach, three castaways who had been stuck for a week on a remote desert island in the western Pacific Ocean were rescued.
The US Coast Guard reported on Thursday (US time) that the men, all in their 40s, were seen on Tuesday on Pikelot Island, a 13-hectare palm-tree-covered islet that is uninhabited and located roughly 670 kilometers southeast of Guam.
Their citizenship and identities were kept secret. However, everyone was reported to be healthy.
A crew of trapped sailors has been rescued from Pikelot Island for the second time in as many years.
The story of the three guys started on Easter Sunday when they sailed from Polowat atoll, 100 nautical miles east of the location where the men were discovered, in an open skiff with an outboard motor, according to the Coast Guard.
Their niece notified authorities six days later when the seasoned sailors did not return, and the US Navy and Coast Guard launched a search and rescue mission.
Lieutenant Chelsea Garcia of the US Coast Guard stated, “This innovative act was crucial in directing rescue efforts directly to their location.”
The guys had access to food and water while they were stuck on the island, which is a part of the Federated States of Micronesia. They were able to retrieve their broken skiff as well.
Two little covered shelters were visible close to the “HELP” sign in a Coast Guard shot.
According to the New York Times, this was not the first time castaways were saved from the island.
After writing “SOS” in the sand, three missing sailors were located in 2020.
In another case, a helicopter landed on the beach to deliver food and water, and an Australian Navy ship, the HMAS Canberra, was its route to the sailors’ help.
