By Hannah Wood, Mirror.co.uk
Two fishermen who were lost in shark-infested waters for 25 days have been rescued.
The duo was found desperately waving their shirts while helplessly floating in an icebox through treacherous waters.
An Australian Coastwatch plane was flying across the Torres Strait, between Australia and Indonesia, on Saturday when the crew spotted the stranded fishermen and called for a rescue helicopter.
The Burmese men, both in their 20s, were winched to safety and are believed to be the only survivors after their fishing boat, carrying 18 others, sank in heavy seas and everyone was thrown overboard.
“We are so glad you found us – we couldn’t have lasted much longer,” the men told their rescuers after being hauled into the helicopter from the 5ft by 4ft box, used to store fish in ice.
The men told how they survived by drinking rain water that gathered at the bottom of the box and by eating pieces of fish that were also in the container.
The men said the battered old fishing boat was some 200 nautical miles north of Australia when it began to break up.
As the boat sank, the men climbed into an icebox as other crew members searched for something to hold on to as they slipped into the water.
“Even when the fishing boat we were on sent out distress signals, no-one responded and when the boat sank we had to grab what we could or we would drown,” the men said.
“We saw a Thai man floating past us but we couldn’t reach him to help,” they said.
The men said there were a total of 11 other Burmese crew and seven Thais on board – but so far no-one has been found.
Helicopter pilot Terry Gadenne told Australia’s Channel 7: “They were ecstatic to see us.
“When we winched down the rescue crewmen into the water, a guy in the esky (ice box) leaped out.
“He was desperately keen to get on board the helicopter. He was pretty keen to get away from the water.
“When they both got up they sculled (drank) two litres of water each within seconds.
“It’s a bloody big ocean to be drifting around in.”
Courtesy: mirror.co.uk
