The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday rescued three people who were stranded on a deserted island in the Bahamas and survived 33 days on coconuts.
A helicopter crew initially waved the trio with a large improvised flag Monday during a routine air patrol around Anguilla Cay, a chain of islands between the Florida Keys and Cuba, the Coast Guard said.
In a video shared on Twitter, Miami crew members at the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast can be seen throwing food, water and a radio at the two men and women.
According to officers, the weather delayed the rescue until Tuesday.
The Coast Guard brought the three to Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West, Florida. No serious injuries were reported.
The delegates, who are from Cuba, told rescue workers that they had swum to the deserted island after their boat capsized in rough waters, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
US Coast Guard, 2nd Class Non-Commissioned Officer Brandon Murray told the newspaper that their survival was nothing short of a miracle.
“I do not remember rescuing people who had been stranded on an island for more than a month,” he said. “This is a new one for me.”
