Rescue launched for girl on solo world sail

June 11, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

A 16-year-old Southern California girl attempting a solo sail around the world was feared in trouble Thursday thousands of miles from land in the frigid, heaving southern Indian Ocean after her emergency beacons began signaling and satellite phone communication was lost.

An international effort to rescue young Abby Sunderland began, but the vast distances meant long hours of waiting for her family and support team, which expressed confidence that she was alive because the beacons were deliberately turned on rather than set off automatically.

“She’s got all the skills she needs to take care of what she has to take care of; she has all the equipment as well,” said brother Zac, himself a veteran of a solo sail around the world at age 17.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman Carly Lusk said three vessels were sent from the French territory of Reunion Island and an aircraft was dispatched from Perth on a four-hour flight to Abby’s location more than 2,000 miles from both Africa and Australia.

Qantas airlines said in a statement that an Airbus A330 tasked by the safety authority took off at 7:53 a.m. today Perth time and its crew would try to spot the sailboat.

It was not clear when the surface vessels left, but it would take a day for the nearest ship to reach the area. Reunion Island is off Madagascar, the very large island along the east coast of Africa.