Miraculous Rescue

[Anchor Lead]

Seven survived out of the 22 passengers and crew members on board the fishing boat when it was struck by a large tanker. Three of them were rescued after surviving in an air pocket created inside the capsized ship’s hull for 150 minutes. They said they didn't even talk to one another so as not to use up the oxygen in the air pocket.

[Pkg]

The first miracle occurred just after the fishing boat capsized from colliding with a large tanker.

[Soundbite] (Surviving Passenger) : "We got up after the boat capsized and found ourselves in an air pocket."

An air pocket was created under water.

[Soundbite] (Surviving Passenger) : "The space was about 2 meters and didn't have much oxygen."

The water temperature was between six to ten degrees Celsius at the time and the survivors were fearful of hypothermia. Then the second miracle happened. With some water seeping out, a sunken rack suddenly re-emerged.

[Soundbite] (Surviving Passenger) : "We all climbed onto the rack. We were in the water for less an hour and then we crawled onto the rack and sat there."

However the air pocket was not big enough for three people. The passengers began to lose their breath when the third miracle took place.

[Soundbite] (Surviving Passenger) : "Seeing sunlight, we began to shout, 'There are people here!' It was dark and I couldn't see. When I came to my senses, I saw the water had drained."

But these miracles were not without reason. The three survivors did their best to hold out for as long as 150 minutes. Their smart phones also worked which helped them to endure.

[Soundbite] (Surviving Passenger) : "We were out of breath and decided not to talk. We didn't talk and kept phone calls to a minimum."

The three who shared a life and death moment together inside an air pocket are now being treated.