SOS in the Sand Gets 3 Sailors Rescued

Three sailors who went missing in the middle of the Pacific when they strayed off course and ran out of fuel were rescued Sunday using quite possibly the oldest trick in the book: writing SOS in the sand. It was spotted from the air by Australian and US military forces, and the men were located on Pikelot Island, 118 miles west of where they started.

They were attempting to sail from Poluwat to Pulap, two atolls that are 26 miles apart, when they got lost and their 23-foot skiff ran out of fuel. Pikelot Island, an uninhabited island in Micronesia that is just over a quarter of a mile long, is part of the Caroline Islands archipelago. A helicopter from an Australian ship brought them food and water, the BBC reports. A Micronesian patrol vessel was planning to pick up the men, who are said to be in good health, SBS reports. (More rescue stories.)