Men stranded on island saved after making “HELP” sign with leaves [Video]

(NewsNation) — Three mariners stranded on an island in the Pacific Ocean were saved after making a “HELP” sign made from leaves from palm trees that was seen by a U.S. Navy aircraft.

The mariners had been on Pikelot Atoll, which is part of the Federated States of Micronesia, for “more than a week” before being rescued by the Coast Guard and Navy, a news release said.

According to the release, the mariners, all men in their 40s, began their trip in a small, 20-foot open skiff with an outboard motor from Polowat Atoll on Easter Sunday.

Then, on Saturday, Joint Rescue Sub-Center Guam received a distress call from one of the men’s relatives who said her three uncles had not returned from Pikelot Atoll.

Crews from the JRSC Guam coordinated a “multifaceted search and rescue operation,” the Coast Guard said. While there were challenges at first when mobilizing air assets because of availability, …