Pikelot Island (Micronesia, Federated States Of), 02/08/2020.- A handout photo made available by the Australian Department of Defence shows an Australian Army ARH-90 Tiger Helicopter landing on Pikelot Island in the Federated States of Micronesia, 02 August 2020 (issued 04 August 2020), where three men were found safe and healthy after missing for three days. Their SOS message outlined on a beach was spotted from the air by Australian and US aircraft searching the area. EFE/EPA/AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE HANDOUT -- MANDATORY CREDIT: COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA 2020 -- HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES *** Local Caption *** HMAS Canberra and its embarked aviation assets have assisted in locating the three-person crew of a skiff that had been missing for nearly three days in waters off the Federated States of Micronesia. The men were found on 2 August in good condition on Pikelot Island, 190 kilometres west of where they had set off in their 23-foot (seven-metre) skiff on 30 July. Their SOS message outlined on a beach was spotted from the air by Australian and US aircraft searching the area.
The Australian Defence Force had been asked for search and rescue support by the Rescue and Coordination Centre (RCC) in Guam on the afternoon of 1 August 2020.
A US Air Force KC-135 aircraft located a rudimentary SOS sign on the beach, which queued HMAS Canberra and her embarked helicopters to locate the missing sailors. A US Coast Guard C-130 aircraft also assisted in the search, providing supplies and communications through an air drop.
Tres marineros que tenían como objetivo viajar 42 kilómetros desde Pulawat hacia unos atolones en Pulap, en Micronesia naufragaron y terminaron en una pequeña isla en medio del Pacífico. La navegación tuvo un cambio inesperado y los hombres terminaron varados en una isla desierta de Pikelot, a unos 190 kilómetros de su destino.
Los náufragos no tuvieron otra opción que pedir ayuda escribiendo en la arena SOS. Fue tras tres horas de búsqueda, al ver que no llegaron a su destino final y con el apoyo de la Fuerza Aérea de Estados Unidos destacada en la isla de Guam, que una unidad aérea divisó el mensaje de alerta pidiendo ayuda y los tres hombres fueron rescatados con el apoyo de dos helicópteros de la marina australiana.
