SOS in sand, three men rescued on a desert island by Australian and American Defence

By Newsroom On Aug 4, 2020

Three men have been rescued on a tiny desert island of the Pacific after writing SOS in the sand. The giant SOS was seen from the sky by the Australian and American Defence aircraft.

On Sunday, a giant SOS has been noticed on the beach of an island of Micronesia by Australian and American Defence searchers. The men had been missing in the archipelago for nearly three days.

What happened to three men rescued? The response of the Australian and American Defence

The Australian Defence Department said that they landed on the uninhabited Pikelot Island and then found by searchers on Australian and US aircraft.

The men had apparently set out from Pulawat atoll in a 7-metre boat on July 30 and had intended to travel about 43km to Pulap atoll when they sailed off course and ran out of fuel, the department said. Searchers in Guam asked for Australian help.

The Australian Defence asked the military ship, Canberra, which was returning to Australia from exercises in Hawaii, to divert to the area and joined forces with US searchers from Guam.

The men were found about 190km from where then rescued.

The Australian and American Defence response outcome

Canberra’s commanding officer, Captain Terry Morrison allegedly declared in a statement, “I am proud of the response and professionalism of all on board as we fulfil our obligation to contribute to the safety of life at sea wherever we are in the world.”

The men were found in good condition, and an Australian military helicopter was able to land on the beach and give them food and water. A Micronesian patrol vessel was due to pick them up.