Two sailors have been rescued from an uninhabited island after search teams spotted their "SOS" in the sand.

A US Navy aircraft crew spotted the pair on the beach on the Micronesia island in the western Pacific and gave their location to the coastguard in Guam.

The pair, who had no emergency equipment with them, were later picked up and taken to a patrol boat.

Rescuers had received a report about the pair's 18ft vessel going missing on August 19.

Hawaii News Now reported that the pair left Weno Island on August 17, and they were expected to arrive at their destination of Tamatam Island the next day.

On Wednesday, a ship noticed flashing lights from the uninhabited Chuuk State island where the two were later found. The US Navy was alerted and spotted the survivors on the beach.

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