SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) Eleven Indonesian fishermen have been rescued from a tiny island by Australian maritime authorities after being stranded without food or water for six days, but there are fears nine others may have drowned.
Two fishing boats were wrecked last week by Tropical Cyclone Ilsa, one of the strongest storms to batter Western Australia in more than a decade, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.
The first group of 11 men swam ashore on remote Bedwell Island, a stretch of sand in the Rowley Shoals about 300 kilometers west of Broome on Australia’s north-west coast.
The area is known for its deep sea fishing.
The distraught men survived for almost a week without food or water before being spotted by an Australian Border Force (ABF) aircraft during a planned surveillance mission, AMSA said, prompting the dispatch of a rescue helicopter.
The second ship, believed to have at least 10 others on board, sank in the powerful storm, AMSA said.
One survivor spent 30 hours in the water before reaching Bedwell Island. The remaining nine fishermen were dead, AMSA said.
Images released by AMSA showed a group of stranded fishermen waving to the rescue helicopter above, framed by a barren white beach. Her battered ship could be seen nearby.
CNN affiliate Nine News Australia reported that the survivors were taken to Broome Hospital for treatment.