‘Rescue in Minutes’: Crew of sinking fishing boat repels sharks by hand | US news

Three lucky fishermen have been rescued from shark-infested waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

The man was stranded in the water and had no means of communication after his 24-foot fishing boat sank around 10 a.m. Saturday.

The U.S. Coast Guard Hartland said two men were fending off the shark with their hands when a rescue helicopter arrived. They were later treated for shark bites and are in stable condition at the hospital.

All three were at risk of hypothermia after spending more than 24 hours in the water.

Dramatic footage from the rescue showed a man in a life jacket at sea.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Venice office said one man was pulled up by helicopter and two others were dragged into a rescue boat.

The man was rescued about 25 miles from Empire, a small community southeast of New Orleans.

The U.S. Coast Guard Hartland said a concerned family reported the man missing Saturday night.

This initiated a search over 1,250 square miles, slightly larger than Rhode Island.

In a Facebook post about the rescue, security said they were “rescued just in time.”

Investigators did not reveal what caused the vessel to sink, the Sun Herald reported, citing an official.