Teenage girl sailor missing on solo voyage around world
08:55, 11 June 2010
BEIJING. June 11. KAZINFORM Californian Abby Sunderland, 16, who is sailing around the world solo for about six months, went missing in the Indian Ocean, U.S. media reported Thursday; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
Her family said Thursday that Abby was repeatedly knocked down in 60 knot-winds at about 3:45 in the morning, 3,218 km east of Madagascar. An hour later, the U.S. coast guard notified them that two emergency satellite beacons on her yacht, Wild Eyes, had been activated.
Rescue boats had been despatched towards the region of the southern Indian Ocean where a signal was activated on board her yacht, but the estimated journey time would be almost two days.
Those close to the teenager didn't know exactly what's happened to her, but Jeff Casher, the engineer behind the trip thought her situation was not optimistic; Kazinform cites Xinhua.
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