Three folks rescued from distant Pacific island after writing 'Assist' with palms on seaside

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This story seems like a story from a movie but it is absolutely real.

Three men went fishing in a small boat. They were sailing from a small island to an even smaller island in Micronesia, but they crash-landed on another small island called Pikelot, which sounds like the setting for a story like Robinson Crusoe.

They were able to survive on coconuts and well water, but eventually they used palm leaves to call 'help' on the beach and were rescued.

Stars and Stripes Report:

3 stranded people under coconuts and a dead battery before Pacific rescue

Three people rescued from a remote atoll in the Pacific this week were surviving on coconuts and well water when a U.S. Navy aircraft spotted their plea for help Sunday, a Coast Guard spokesman said.

According to the Coast Guard, the trio, all in their 40s, left Micronesia's Polowat Atoll on March 31 in a 20-foot boat with an outboard motor for Pikelot Atoll, a 31-acre strip of land in the vast ocean. It is a deserted place. News release Wednesday. The men were not identified by the Coast Guard.

Chief Warrant Officer Sarah Muir, Coast Guard Forces Micronesia, Sector Guam, told Stars & Stripes, “Their initial goal was to fish around Pikelot, but as they approached the island the boat capsized due to rising waves on the island and surrounding shore. Got damaged.” Thursday by email. “They were originally going to meet another family from Satawal (atoll) in Pikelot. The Satawal family could not go due to weather and sea conditions.

On Saturday a woman “reported that her three uncles have not returned from Pikelot Atoll,” according to the Coast Guard, about 115 miles northwest of Polowat Atoll, both part of the Federated States of Micronesia.

Here's a quick video report:

Think about being trapped in such a distant place.

These individuals are very fortunate to be alive.

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