Sailors Rescued Off Australian Coast After Sharks Attack Inflatable Raft

Three sailors who boarded an inflatable catamaran and attempted to sail from the island of Vanuatu to Cairns, Australia were attacked by sharks during their journey on Wednesday.

Sharks ripped into their vessel, which prompted a plea for help in the dark, early morning hours in the Coral Sea, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) reported.

AMSA received an emergency alert around 1:30 a.m. local time of a Russian-registered, 9-meter inflatable catamaran Tion. Upon arrival, AMSA found that a school of sharks damaged both hulls of their boat.

"AMSA requested the assistance of Panama-flagged vehicle carrier Dugong Ace and tasked the Cairns-based Challenger Rescue Aircraft to the scene," AMSA said in a release. "Dugong Ace successfully conducted the rescue and collected three people."

"The three males were very happy to be rescued, and they're all healthy and well," said Joe Zeller, the AMSA manager at its Canberra response center.

The three men, who range between 28- and 64-years-old, are expected to arrive in Brisbane on Thursday.

Authorities told the press that there’s no clear reason why the sharks attacked the boat.