Men Stranded On Pacific Island Rescued After SOS Signal

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, the crew of USCGC Oliver Henry (WPC 1140), rescues three mariners that were stranded on Pikelot Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, on April

Three men who were stranded on an uninhabited Pacific island have been successfully rescued after using palm fronds to spell out HELP on the beach. The men had set out on a fishing trip on March 31 from Pulawat Atoll, a small island in the Federated States of Micronesia, when their boat hit a coral reef, causing it to take on water.

After realizing they couldn't make it back home, the men beached their vessel on Pikelot Atoll and created a visible HELP sign using palm fronds. A relative reported them missing on April 6, prompting a search and rescue mission that covered a vast area of 78,000 square miles.