It reads like a Hollywood script.
Six sailors stranded on a remote island without food for almost two weeks have been rescued by the Brazilian Navy — after sending a message in a bottle out to sea.
The sailors, all of whom were crew members onboard the vessel Bom Jesus, were reported missing on April 11 when they failed to return from a 10-day ocean expedition.
Unbeknownst to their loved ones, the group had become stranded on the small island of Ilha das Flechas [Arrow Island] on April 1 after their boat caught fire.
The remote island is located off the coast of the Brazilian state of Para and is completely uninhabited.
While on the island, the desperate castaways — who were without an adequate supply of freshwater — wrote a note and put it into a bottle tied to a ball.
Six sailors stranded on a remote island without food for almost two weeks have been rescued by the Brazilian Navy after sending a message in a bottle out to sea. Marinha do Brasil/CENThey launched it into the ocean with the hopes it would be found by someone at sea.
“Help, help! We need help, our boat caught fire, we have been on Arrow Island for 13 days without food, let our family know,” read the note inside the bottle, according to CEN News Wire.
Miraculously, the message was soon picked up by a fisherman, who quickly forwarded it to the Brazilian Navy.
“Help, help! We need help, our boat caught fire, we have been on Arrow Island for 13 days without food, let our family know,” the message inside the bottle read. Marinha do Brasil/CENIn addition, the sailors included the phone numbers of family members based in the coastal city of Santarém.
On Wednesday evening, the castaways were rescued after 13 days stranded on the island.
Remarkable video shows the group being greeted by the Navy before being whisked back to the mainland by a helicopter.
Cristiano Azevedo, commander of the Bom Jesus vessel that caught fire, was one of the men stranded on the island. Cristiano Azevedo/CEN
Remarkable rescue video shows the group being greeted by the Navy before being whisked back to the mainland by a helicopter. Marinha do Brasil/CENFollowing the rescue, the six crew members were taken to the city of Belém for medical checks.
Doctors reported that they are all in good general health, but very dehydrated from their ordeal.
The crew says they managed to sustain themselves by drinking rainwater and rationing food, according to the Brazilian website Oliberal.com.
The crew members of the Bom Jesus vessel are pictured after their miraculous rescue. Marinha do Brasil/CENThe mother of one of the sailors spoke with local outlet Santarém e Região, tearfully exclaiming: “Everyone is happy because they were found alive, this was very good for people who were distressed.”
Meanwhile, the port authority has opened an investigation to determine the cause of the vessel’s sinking.
