HONOLULU, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Twenty sailors adrift in life rafts after their cargo ship sank off the Marshall Islands have been rescued, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The crew members of the Jeljelet Ae were found Friday about 90 miles northwest of Majuro, Marshall Islands.


The Coast Guard received an initial distress signal about 6:45 a.m. and a second one less than an hour later but their source couldn't be verified.

An HC-130 Hercules aircraft was sent out at 11 a.m. to search for the source of the distress signals and shortly before 3 p.m. an Air Marshall Islands aircraft spotted two life rafts.

Several vessels headed for the rafts and a 30-foot sport fishing boat reached them about 6 p.m., reporting it had rescued all 20 crew members. Their condition was not known.

The Jeljelet Ae had departed Majuro Thursday with a load of construction materials bound for Likiep Atoll about 200 nautical miles north of Majuro. The crew was believed to have abandoned ship after it sank in heavy weather.