MANAMA: Seven Bahraini fishermen were rescued at sea by the USS Ponce during a hailstorm off the coast of Bahrain early yesterday morning. The crews of two small fishing boats were spotted making distress calls about 30 nautical miles northeast of Bahrain shortly after 6:30am. One of the Bahrainis, Sayed Saleh, a sales executive, went on the leisurely fishing trip with a group of friends and family when the storm unexpectedly hit in the vicinity of their boats. “The wind became so strong, and then ice and rain started to come down hard,” said Saleh.

“We saw the Navy ship and we knew we only had one choice, since the weather was so bad. All of us waved our hands, white cloths and started yelling for help, and did our best to get closer to the ship.” The Ponce returned to port in Bahrain at 2:10pm towing the two fishing boats. They were transferred to the Royal Bahraini Coastguard.