The survivors reported two fishing vessels had been caught in Tropical Cyclone Ilsa. Photo: Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Indonesian villagers fear two more fishing boats remain unaccounted for after the dramatic rescue of 11 fisherman from a small island about 300 kilometres west of Broome, Western Australia.
Ten of those fisherman had been aboard a vessel named Express, which hit trouble in waters off WA's northwest due to the destructive force of Severe Tropical Cyclone Ilsa.
All crew members on the Express survived for six days with no food or fresh water after their vessel washed onto Bedwell Island, a tiny patch of sand in the Rowley Shoals, before being spotted by a passing Australian Border Force (ABF) plane.
A rescue operation was launched to retrieve the stranded fishermen, who were transferred to Broome via helicopter and received medical support.
But eight fishermen who were aboard a second vessel, the Putri Jaya, are missing, feared drowned.
And villagers from Rote Island have told the ABC about two other boats that left at the same time - though travelling separately - that remain unaccounted for.
They are the Cahaya Alor and Tuan Muda.
It is understood there were nine people on board the Cahaya Alor, but it is unclear how many were aboard Tuan Muda.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has been contacted for comment, and to confirm whether authorities are aware and searching for more boats.
Survivor lashed himself to water container
Text messages from AMSA to Indonesia's search and rescue agency BASARNAS, seen by the ABC, tell an incredible story of survival for one of the fishermen on board the Putri Jaya.
Rama Jalatino, 25, was on board the Putri Jaya when it hit heavy seas on April 12 and was battered by a wave which caused the engines to stall and the vessel began to sink.
Jalatino tied himself to a large plastic water container before he jumped from the boat about 3am.
He said he swam for about 30 hours until he saw land and headed there.
Amazingly, that land was Bedwell Island, where he met the crew of the Express.
Australian Border Force (ABF) alerted AMSA to the stranded group after one of its aircraft identified people in distress as part of a planned surveillance mission. Photo: Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Challenging night rescue
PHI Aviation's search and rescue expert Gordon Watt, whose company dispatched the rescue helicopter to the surviving fishermen, said they had constructed a makeshift camp on the beach next to where the Express had run aground.
He said the group had expressed "elation" when the PHI Aviation team arrived.
"The survivors were signalling they needed water and refreshments," he said.
"They'd obviously been there for a number of days, we understand ... in a very exposed position without water and food.
"They were very pleased to see our team to recover them back to the mainland."
Watt said the rescue mission had been complicated by the fact that it was dark and unsafe for the helicopter to land on the sandy beach, forcing aviation staff to winch the men to safety.
"So [it was] a challenging rescue for the crew to conduct and we were all pleased they were able to do it safely and make it back to Broome," he said.
More information needed: police commissioner
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said it was too early to know how involved police would be in the investigation.
"If it's determined that there have been deaths out at sea, then that would form part of our assessment for a potential coronial matter, subject to jurisdictional issues," he told ABC Radio Perth.
"I think the important thing is to speak to those 11 [fishermen], which border force will manage.
"Until we know why they were there, how they got there, who else was there, how many other boats… we need more information.
"It has been reported [there was] one other one [vessel] but we don't want to satisfy ourselves of that outcome until we've spoken to everyone involved.
"Were they sheltering in place, were they illegally fishing? I know there's a lot of questions out there in the public domain, and we just have to wait and see what the investigation finds."
- ABC
