NINE survivors of the fishing trawler Palli HJA Marrianu were rescued on Sunday morning, after the 1000-ton vessel sank near Plettenberg Bay. The survivors owe their lives to the SA Air Force, which despatched a Dakota from Cape Town and an Oryx helicopter from Port Elizabeth to the site of the disaster, 60 miles offshore. The Dakota crew spotted a dinghy carrying eight crewmen, a single survivor, and three bodies. The trawler is believed to have been carrying around 37 crew. The cause of the trawler’s sinking is unknown. A second Dakota and Oryx helicopter are on their way to the area.
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