Six St Lucia men rescued after 13 hours at sea

Six St Lucian men have been rescued by the coastguard 28 miles off the the western coast of Martinique.

The group left Martinique around 3am on Monday, according to reports, and ran out of gas and engine oil soon after.

The Donald Horsley, a coastguard cutter, was on a routine patrol in Caribbean international waters when it came across the boat at around 4pm on Monday afternoon.

The vessel was drifting further away from the shore.

No radio equipment was found on board so the men were unable to call for help. They had been without food and water for 13 hours.

The men were transferred to a French coastguard patrol boat off Martinique.

Lieutenant Colleen Denny, US Coast Guard Donald Horsley commanding officer, said: “This case demonstrates the risks of the sea and how the US Coast Guard provides assistance to mariners all over the world.

“Thanks to the sharp search and rescue training and watchstanding coordination between the US Coast Guard and our French partners, we found the 'One Time' and saved six lives before night fall.”

The Donald Horsley is a 154-foot fast response cutter homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.