Swift action saves two sailors in the Atlantic Ocean
One fatality in incident at sea
SOUTH AFRICA: Two sailors were successfully rescued when their yacht, which was sailing from Tristan da Cunha to Cape Town, started to take on water approximately 2,400km west-southwest of their destination. The skipper of the yacht unfortunately could not be rescued and is presumed to have gone down with the vessel.
On Wednesday, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Cape Town received an SOS Alert via the Garmin International Rescue Coordination Centre (IERCC), indicating that the Swiss-flagged sailing vessel, Nina Pope, was taking on water following a Cospas-Sarsat Emergency Position Radio Beacon (EPIRB) alert.
Initiating a coordinated search and rescue (SAR) operation, the MRCC mobilised the motor tanker, Front Pollux. Despite challenging conditions, with winds up to 74 km/h and sea swells of up to eight metres, the tanker managed to two of the three yachtsmen from a life raft near the reported position.
The survivors, one with dual Swiss/USA citizenship and the other Brazilian, have since communicated with their respective embassies in Cape Town. Both individuals did not require medical assistance and will be evacuated by National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). They are expected to arrive in Cape Town early next week.
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