Five people who were stranded on a rock after their boat drifted away have been rescued after emergency crews spotted their SOS message in giant letters written on a sandbank.
Queensland water police discovered a six-metre boat adrift with nobody onboard near Brampton Island, about 30 kilometres north-east of Mackay, off north Queensland.
A rescue helicopter, called to help find the boat’s occupants, spotted an SOS message written in the sand and soon after found the five people. All were winched to safety.
The three men and two women, who were on a snorkeling trip, had gone ashore on the rocky outcrop, but their boat drifted away, leaving them stranded.
Two of the group tried to swim after the drifting boat, but could not reach it.
One of the rescued women said the group was “a bit burnt” but otherwise in good health.
