Teenage US sailor Abby Sunderland was rescued safely from her stricken yacht Wild Eyes in the remote southern Indian Ocean today, Australian maritime officials said.
A boat launched from the French fishing vessel Ile de la Reunion reached Sunderland at about 7.45pm eastern Australian time (9.45am Irish time), the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said. Australian authorities provided air support, it said.
The master of the French ship reported 16-year-old Sunderland to be safe and well, Australian officials said in a statement. Her family had been informed of the rescue, they said.
Ms Sunderland left the United States in January on a widely criticised attempt to circumnavigate the world. Her yacht ran into trouble on Thursday as it was pounded by huge waves midway between Africa and Australia.
Her dismasted yacht was spotted yesterday. Australian rescue officials sent an aircraft to the treacherous southern Indian Ocean on Saturday to regain radio contact with her.
Two other ships also responded to her distress call.
It is likely she will be transferred to one of those ships, one of which is heading for the island of Reunion, a French possession in the Indian Ocean, and the other for Australia.
Wild Eyes was approximately 2,000 nautical miles from Australia's west coast when she was rescued, the Australian statement said.
Her predicament reignited a debate about the wisdom of teenage sailors attempting to sail solo around the world, weeks after Australian teenager Jessica Watson accomplished a similar feat.
The search for Sunderland involved Australian, US and French rescue authorities sending ships and a commercial airliner.
Reuters