3 people have been found alive after surviving 33 days on a desert island

Sometimes reality may look like fiction. This is what happened in this incredible story that took place on the island of Anguilla Cay in the Bahamas. Three Cubans, a woman and two men, found themselves shipwrecked there, after their boat was caught in rough waters. Fortunately, they managed to swim to the deserted island. While luck was on their side to begin with, they must have quickly become disillusioned since they were stuck there for nearly 33 days.

Surprise rescue

The three individuals had to wait until February 8 to be spotted by the US Coast Guard. And this rescue was completely by chance since an aircraft flew over the area for what seemed a routine mission. To attract the attention of potential planes, the trio had made makeshift flags. It was these objects that caught the attention of the Coast Guard. At soon as their presence was determined, the Guard decided to drop food, water and a radio to the castaways in order to establish communication.

Riley Beecher, one of the rescuers, told the BBC:

Unfortunately, no one in our team spoke fluent Spanish, but with my few scraps of the language I understood that they were from Cuba and needed medical attention. They were able to explain that they had been stranded on the island for about 33 days.

The very next day, a rescue mission was organized and the victims were transferred to a hospital in Florida.

A miracle

While everyone agrees that the three Cubans were very lucky, the coast guards were amazed. One of them said:

It's pretty incredible. I don't know how they did it. When we found them I was surprised they were in such good shape.

According to the American media, the castaways have survived by feeding on coconuts, molluscs and rats.