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.
The initial search area was more than 78,000 square nautical miles. Only the sailors' palm tree sign alerted authorities to their whereabouts, when a Coast Guard HC-130J Hercules aircraft spotted it from the sky.
“In a remarkable testament to their will to be found, the mariners spelled out ‘HELP’ on the beach using palm leaves, a crucial factor in their discovery. This act of ingenuity was pivotal in guiding rescue efforts directly to their location,” Lt. Chelsea Garcia said in a statement.
Stranded sailors rescued from tiny Pacific island after making 'HELP' sign with leaves
The U.S. Coast Guard said the palm tree sign was “pivotal in guiding rescue efforts directly to their location.”
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