8 Indonesian fishermen feared dead, 11 rescued off Australia
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Eight Indonesian fishermen are feared drowned and another 11 have been rescued after spending six days without food or water on a barren island off the northwest Australian coast after a powerful tropical cyclone, authorities said Wednesday.
Two primitive wooden Indonesian fishing boats were caught in the path of Cyclone Ilsa, which made landfall Friday as Australia’s most powerful storm in eight years, with winds gusting at an apparent record of 289 kilometers (180 miles) per hour.