The US Coast Guard rescued six St. Lucian men on Monday off the western coast of Martinique. The rescued men reportedly departed Martinique at approximately 3 a.m.
Monday and were returning to St. Lucia, when their boat ran out of gas and engine oil shortly after their departure. The US Coast Guard vessel, while on a routine patrol in Caribbean international waters, came across the boat at approximately 4 p.m. Monday, as the disabled vessel was drifting farther away from shore. The rescued men said that they had been adrift without food and water for over 13 hours, and that they had no radio equipment to communicate a distress and call for help. The Coast Guard contacted officials in Martinique to report the situation, and were informed there was an ongoing search for the men, who had been reported overdue. The crew later transferred the men to a French Coast Guard patrol boat off Martinique.