Ingenious "Help" Signal Leads To Rescue Of Stranded Mariners
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Three men stranded on a remote Pacific island for a week were successfully rescued on April 9, 2024, thanks to their clever "help" signal made using palm fronds.
The mariners' ordeal began on March 31, 2024, when they set out to fish from Polowat Island aboard their 20-foot (6-m) open skiff. About 115 miles (185 km) into their journey, a large wave struck their boat, damaging the outboard motor. Fortunately, the fishers managed to scramble onto Pikelot Atoll, a small, uninhabited coral island. But their radio ran out of battery power before they could call for help.
The search for the three sailors began on April 6, 2024, when a woman contacted the US Coast Guard in Guam to report them missing. Initially, bad weather and a lack of aircraft hindered the rescue efforts. However, the Guam rescuers soon received support from the US Navy team based in Japan and another Coast Guard crew. Together, they carefully searched an area of over 100,000 miles (160,000 km). It only took a day for the Navy aircraft to spot the massive "help" signal on the white sand.
"This act of ingenuity was pivotal in guiding rescue efforts directly to their location," said Lt. Chelsea Garcia, the search and rescue mission coordinator.
The sailors had been living off coconut meat and fresh water from a small well on the island and were all in good health. The Navy crew dropped some emergency supplies, like food and water, and relayed their location to the rescue center. The three men were picked up and delivered to their loved ones shortly after.
Polowat and Pikelot are part of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The island nation spreads across 1500 miles (2,414 km) of the western Pacific Ocean. FSM comprises more than 600 small islands, only 65 of which are inhabited.
Resources: NPR.com, CNN.com, Telegraph.co.uk
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31 Comments
sirryker2 monthsDang I'm just happy they aren't dead or injured
sparkle_23454 monthsIt might be creepy if u just SAW IT and didn’t know what to do
rishaan116 monthsHELP signs are scary sometimes, good they got rescued because I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't even be able to survive that long!
holymolyyy6 monthsholy moly!!
blakeeboy6 monthswow
gbw08756 monthsIt would be really fun for me
ina20246 monthsI wonder how long they were there
emma2e6 monthsthey were there for 9 days it literally said that IN THE ARTICLE
crazychristine6 months9 DAYS!?!? I WON'T BE ALIVE BY A TIME THEY FIND ME!!!
nemisimedola6 monthsThe article says that they were there for a week and saved on April 9
ellianac6 monthsI guess they knew exactly what to do
starflight87 monthsHow was a well there ?
bluey_thegreat23 monthsmaybe it was inhabeted before and still had water?
angle4387 monthsI'm glad there safe to it must have been hard for them and scary
