By Editorial Note: tranded Bahamas Island Rescued: A Tale of Survival
A man, stranded for three days on Cay Sal, an isolated Bahamas island, was saved
by the US Coast Guard. His ingenious use of flares caught their attention, leading to
a swift drop of supplies. This rescue emphasizes preparedness, vessel safety, and
the vital role of international cooperation in dire situations. – Talukder Tetulia Aug
22, 2023
A man stranded for 3 days on a remote Bahamas island
was rescued by the Coast Guard after he fired flares
This news was on INSIDER and author was Joshua Zitser Aug 22, 2023, 6:33 AM EDT
A man who was stranded for three days on an isolated Bahamas island was rescued
Friday after he fired flares from his sailboat, the US Coast Guard said in a news release.
The Coast Guard received an alert from its aircrew of a “disabled sailboat firing flares
near Cay Sal,” officials said in the news release.
Cay Sal is a tiny island which no longer has anybody living on it. It is Bahamian territory,
but is closer to Cuba and Florida than any of the major Bahamas islands.
The US Coast Guard has an agreement with The Bahamas to regularly fly over Cay Sal
to look for people potentially stranded there, according to the Florida Keys News.
In this instance, the Coast Guard dropped supplies to the man after spotting him,
including food, water, and a radio to establish communication, officials said in the news
release.
The man told the crew that he had been stranded for three days after his vessel
became disabled, the Coast Guard said. The agency didn’t specify what went wrong.
A crew later retrieved him from the island, transferring him to the Royal Bahamas
Defence Force in “good health,” officials said, per the news release.
“We’re proud to have saved this man’s life. This case serves as a perfect example of
why you must have the proper safety equipment on your vessel,” said Petty Officer 3rd
Class Dev Craig, a Coast Guard official, in the news release.
“Without seeing the flare, the case may not have had a successful outcome,” Craig
added.
In the past, the US Coast Guard has come across migrant vessels in the vicinity of Cay
Sal. People from Haiti and Cuba have on occasion become stranded there trying to
make it to the US.
