Three fishermen swimming in the Gulf of Mexico were rescued by the US Coast Guard after their boat sank. According to Fox Weather TV, they spent more than 24 hours in the water and had to battle sharks after the animals that surrounded them attacked two of the survivors.
The trio went fishing off the southeast coast of Louisiana on Saturday, but did not return home as planned, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Relatives got worried and started a mass search by contacting the maritime service. Rescue helicopters from New Orleans and Corpus Christi, Texas covered more than 2,000 square miles on the mission.
Only on Sunday morning one of the helicopters saw the two men swimming in the water. A Coast Guard rescue boat headed to the scene and initially saw the two men actively fighting sharks while suffering hand injuries. A second helicopter placed the third victim farther and pulled him out of the water.
Three of them were taken to a hospital in New Orleans. Their health was stable, but one of them started hypothermia, according to the Coast Guard.
Officials said that the fishing boat sank at around 10:00 am on Saturday, taking all communication equipment with it. They were wearing life jackets that helped them survive while swimming in the gulf waters.
“We searched an area the size of Rhode Island and are grateful to have found these missing boaters. The situation might have been completely different if the family hadn’t notified the Coast Guard and these three boaters hadn’t been wearing vests,” said Kevin. Keefe, Lieutenant Commander and New Orleans Sector Search and Rescue Mission. Coordinator.
source: Noticias
