Palm fronds in the sand

Castaways rescued from small Pacific island

(Bild: kameraOne (Screenshot), krone.at-Grafik)

The US Coast Guard has rescued three castaways who were stranded on a small desert island in the Pacific. The men, aged around 40, had set off on a boat to go fishing on Easter Sunday - but did not return. Relatives reported them missing. Palm fronds now put the searchers on the right track.

The US Coast Guard began its search and eventually discovered palm fronds on the beach on the island of Pikelot, which belongs to Micronesia. The men had used them to spell out the word "Help".

Rescued thanks to ingenuity
The US Coast Guard spoke of a "remarkable testimony to their will to be found". Resourcefulness was the decisive factor in the rescue workers being able to find the castaways and save them on Tuesday (local time), it said.

(Bild: kameraOne (Screenshot), krone.at-Grafik)

The missing men were stranded on this island on Easter Sunday.(Bild: Handout / Australian Defence Force / AFP)

Rescuers related to castaway
The rescuers had previously dropped a radio over the island in order to communicate with the men. The US broadcaster CNN reported a surprise during the rescue: one of the rescuers turned out to be a distant relative of the shipwrecked men.

One of the rescuers turned out to be a distant relative of one of the shipwrecked men.(Bild: Handout / Australian Defence Force / AFP)

The small island of Pikelot made headlines around the world almost four years ago. Thanks to a huge SOS call for help painted in the sand, three missing sailors were found.