Terrified boaters forced into hand-to-hand combat with sharks after ship sinks

Rescuers arrived as the men fought for their lives against hungry predators after spending a grueling 24 hours in the water

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Sharks: Boaters go missing on fishing trip rescued by Coast Guard

Three men whose fishing trip turned into a nightmare have described the moment their boat sank, leaving them to fight desperately in hand-to-hand combat with ferocious sharks.

Coastguard crews searched more than 1,000 square miles before spotting them just in time, 25 miles off Empire, Louisiana.

Gazed rescue teams saw two of the men fend off the sharks as they began the operation.

Two of the three men, who had been in the water for 24 hours after their boat sank on Saturday morning, suffered hand injuries from sharks before rescuers could pull them out.< /p>

"The shark bit the life jacket in front of me. I shoved it in the face and that's where I got these hand injuries," one of the men said.

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"I pushed him in the face but he wouldn't leave so I took both my thumbs and jabbed him in the eye and he left," he added.

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Rescuers covered over 1,000 square miles and the men were in the water for over 24 hours before being brought to safety (

Picture:

US Coast Guard)

The US Coast Guard dispatched boats and helicopters to search for the men after a family member reported they had not returned from a fishing trip.

The men's boat sank around 10 a.m. on Saturday October 8, sparking a desperate rescue effort that saw Coast Guard crews cover 1,250 square miles, officials said.

Rescuers eventually found the three people in Gulf of Mexico waters on Sunday about 25 miles off Empire, Louisiana, after their boat sank.