A group of fishermen were rescued after a tropical cyclone left them stranded on an desert island for a week without food or water

• Australian authorities rescued 11 Indonesian fishermen who spent six days on a desert island.
• Two fishing boats were caught in Tropical Cyclone Ilsa's destructive path earlier this month.

Australian authorities rescued a group of fishermen who were left stranded on a barren island with no food or water for nearly a week after their boat was caught in a deadly tropical cyclone, according to reports.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said eleven Indonesian fishermen survived six days on Bedwell Island, a desert island about 195 miles west of the Australian mainland, creating a makeshift camp and eventually waving down a surveillance aircraft that was searching for the missing men.

On April 12, two wooden Indonesian fishing boats were sailing in the region, which is known for its deep sea fishing, when they became caught in the path of Tropical Cyclone Ilsa, one of the strongest storms to hit the area in nearly a decade, officials said.

One of the boats, carrying 10 fishermen, eventually washed ashore on the island. Overhead photos of the stranded men show their vessel nearby on the white beach.

But the other boat, which had nine fishermen aboard, is believed to have sunk during the storm. Officials fear eight of the vessel's passengers died amid the extreme weather conditions.

A man who is thought to be the sole survivor of the sunken boat spent 30 hours in the water before he, too, washed ashore on Bedwell Island a day after the first group, according to a Tuesday statement from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

The eleven men spent six days stranded on the island before an Australian Border Force aircraft spotted them while conducting a planned surveillance mission, officials said.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority diverted a nearby rescue aircraft, which had been aiding in the aftermath of Ilsa, and confirmed the eleven survivors were on the island, along with their beached boat and a small campsite.

On April 17, officials aboard an international rescue helicopter retrieved the men from Bedwell Island and brought them back to mainland Australia, where they received medical treatment, according to authorities. Medical officials told The Associated Press that the fishermen appeared to be in "good health despite their ordeal."