Castaways rescued after sending message in a bottle

Six people were rescued after being stranded for 17 days on a deserted island in the northern Brazilian state of Pará. They had been on a shipwreck and were only discovered after fishermen found a message in a bottle they had thrown to the sea. The note included the castaways’ location and contact information for their next of kin.

The castaways’ boat caught fire after a storm, destroying most of their supplies. They were able to beach the ship and land on the island. After nearly two weeks and without any provisions, they sent the bottle in an act of desperation.

The fishermen who found the message notified the Navy, which arrived on Wednesday by helicopter. The men had left the city of Santarém on March 24, bound for Chaves — a ten-day voyage. They stopped making contact on the third day and their family members had already informed the Navy about their disappearance.

“Help, help! We need help, our boat caught fire, we’ve been on Flexas Island (sic) for 13 days, without food. Notify our family (…) There are six crew members,” the letter read.

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