A couple who were stranded on a desert island for a week have been rescued after a plane spotted their 20ft SOS message written in the sand.
Linus and Sabina Jack, believed to be in their 50s, were on a sailing trip around the Pacific islands in Micronesia when they disappeared.
They were discovered a week later surviving in a makeshift shelter built from driftwood and leaves.
When the Jacks did not arrive at the island of Tamatam on August 17 a search operation to find them and their 18ft boat was launched.
But Micronesia’s maritime authority, cost guards and local volunteers could find no trace of them.
Authorities were losing hope of finding the pair until a British ship noticed someone attempting to signal with a light on Wednesday, a week after they had gone off the radar.
A search plane was sent over the uninhabited Fayu Atoll island on Thursday morning and found the missing couple and their boat on the beach.
They had drawn the letters “SOS” 20ft high in the sand and were frantically waving to the aircraft from the shore.
The first ship sent to rescue Mr and Mrs Jack could not get close enough due to shallow water.
But two more boats were sent on Friday and they were eventually rescued.
A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Kolonia said the rescue operation has been “successfully completed” adding: “They are found and are waiting for a ship to take them home.”
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