News Service from House Harris

Qld: Survival expert doubts esky men's survival story

BRISBANE, Jan 21 AAP - A medical expert in long-term survival has cast doubt on the claims of two men who say they survived 25 days adrift at sea in an oversized esky.

The men, aged 22 and 24 and believed to be from Burma, were plucked from an industrial-sized red esky spotted by a Coastwatch plane in the Torres Strait on Saturday.

They told rescuers they climbed into the esky after their 10-metre wooden fishing boat sank on December 23. They said the 18 other crew members were presumed to have drowned.

The men, identified in The Sydney Morning Herald as Burmese nationals Ko Ko Oo and Haung Htaik, claimed they survived on rainwater and several small fish regurgitated by two seabirds that approached the esky.

The extraordinary story has prompted mixed reactions.

Brisbane doctor Paul Luckin, who is also a Royal Australian Navy Reserve commander and expert in long-term survival, has rejected the men's claims.

"Water is the key to survival and if they did have a regular supply of freshwater that they were able to collect then survival is possible," Dr Luckin told AAP.

"But for them to be able to capture rainwater in that esky would mean the bottom of that esky would have to be fairly clean - in other words free of saltwater and dead fish.

"It would be unlikely that they would travel in that esky for that time without a certain quantity of saltwater getting in."

Dr Luckin said the men would likely have vomited from sea sickness, further dehydrating them and further polluting any potable water the esky may have collected.

He also said it was questionable whether the esky would have stayed upright in the ocean's rough conditions.

"If the container floated upright and if they were in absolutely calm water then perhaps they would have been able to keep it water-free," he said.

"But that is very unlikely considering it is a very unstable craft with two men having to stand up and move around in it, little alone trying to relieve themselves over the side.

"I can't see how the vessel would not have capsized."

But Thursday Island police Senior Sergeant Les Bulluss said there were reasons to believe the men's story.

"These guys were found about 80km away from TI (Thursday Island). When we had the monsoon low we had quite rough seas for three or four days but for the rest of the time it has been really calm," Sen Sgt Bulluss said.

"I have really seen nothing to doubt their version and I think it is possible the esky could stay afloat (because) Cyclone Charlotte was a long way to the south of us.

"We did get some rain and winds from that but nothing too significant.

"We had king tides but we get them anyway and we get king tides that are very flat."

The men are now in the hands of immigration officials, who are checking their identities.