3 Men Rescued from Coral Sea After ‘Several Shark Attacks’ Damage Their Inflatable Catamaran
The trio were rescued in the early hours of Wednesday morning, over 500 miles off the coast of Australia
Three men have been rescued from the Coral Sea after "several shark attacks" damaged their inflatable catamaran.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority confirmed in a media release that both hulls of the 30-foot catamaran had been damaged following the attacks more than 500 miles off the Australian coast.
The three men, who were traveling to the Cairns in the far north of Queensland, were rescued in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The boat’s emergency distress beacon sent out a call at 1:30 a.m. local time.
Related: Sailor Stranded for 3 Days on Uninhabited Island in ‘Good Health’ After Rescue by Coast Guard
russian.ocean.way Instagram
Vincent Thomas Etienne, Staislav Beryozkin and Evgeny KovalevskyA video posted on the AMSA’s official Twitter, now known as X, shared footage of the search and rescue effort. “Remember to always bring a registered beacon with you when you're out on the water - it could help save your life,” the tweet accompanying the clip read.
“AMSA requested the assistance of Panama-flagged vehicle carrier Dugong Ace and tasked the Cairns-based Challenger Rescue Aircraft to the scene. Dugong Ace successfully conducted the rescue and collected three people,” the release added.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority via AP
According to NBC News, the men had set off from the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Aug. 28 on the latest stage of an around-the-world trip.
Per the outlet, the sailors, aged between 28 and 64, are said to be unharmed. Their belongings were also saved, but the catamaran was lost.
The trio, two Russians and one Frenchman, are due to arrive in Brisbane, Australia on Thursday morning, the release said.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority via AP
The trio sent out an emergency distress signal from their catamaranJoe Zeller, a senior manager at AMSA, said in a video statement that the catamaran had “large sections of its hull missing,” reported CNN,
"An emergency beacon absolutely saved their lives," he continued. “There are many reasons vessels are attacked by sharks but the motivations of these sharks is unclear.”
Zeller added that the men were “very happy” to be rescued.
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Per the voyage’s Instagram account @russian.ocean.way, the three men onboard were Evgeny Kovalevsky, Stanislav Berezkin and Vincent Thomas Etienne.
According to one post, their vessel was first attacked by sharks on Monday and began to sink on Tuesday.
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