Qld: Esky survivors amaze rescuers
20 Jan 2009 7:12 PM
It's believed two men .. who apparently survived 25 days at sea an industrial esky after their boat sank .. could have collected the rainwater to survive.
The men .. aged 22 and 24 .. were spotted by a Coastwatch plane drifting 60 nautical miles north-west of Horn Island .. in the Torres Strait on Saturday.
The pair say they're Burmese .. and have been released from Thursday Island hospital after treatment for dehydration and skin complaints.
They are now in the hands of Australian immigration officials .. but won't be placed in a detention centre.
The men told have rescuers their 10-metre wooden fishing boat sank in the Torres Strait on December 23 .. and 18 other crew members on board the vessel probably perished .. as they had no life jackets or other safety devices.
It's believed the boat set off from Thailand with Burmese and Thai crew members.
