A group of fishermen lost at sea for nearly three days managed to survive by keeping themselves in high spirits aboard their life-raft, before they used a flare gun to attract rescuers.

The seven crew members were forced to abandon their ship, the Elite Navigator, on Wednesday after a small fire on the vessel quickly turned into an inferno.

With little time to spare, the men piled into a life-raft and abandoned the burning boat.

The captain of the fishing vessel, Eugene Carter, said: ‘Within five minutes, we had seven men aboard a life-raft and there was fire around us everywhere.’

The fishing crew finally returned home on Saturday in a rescue that people are calling a ‘miracle’

When the crew returned home on Saturday, they were greeted by hundreds of jubilant townsfolk

The fishermen were hugged by tearful family members who were certain they were dead

After they got clear of the ship, the men were left with meager resources as they drifted around the Atlantic. 

Water supplies soon dwindled and the raft continued to float further away from land. 

Soon a fog bank spanning 15 nautical miles rolled in, hiding the stranded fishermen and obstructing search efforts.

Despite their dismal circumstances, though, the crew was able to maintain a positive outlook, which played an integral role in their survival. 

‘We were actually sitting around joking with each other, using the microphone, interviewing each other with the flashlight trying to keep our hopes and everything up,’ Carter told CBC. 

By late Friday night, the crew were able to draw the attention of a rescue helicopter when they fired a hand-held flare – their last one.

‘A hand-held red flare was spotted, which led us to a life-raft,’ the Canadian coast guard said in a Facebook post on Friday. 

Villagers from New-Wes-Valley swarmed the fishermen, whom they thought were gone for good

Despite their dismal circumstances,  the crew was able to maintain a positive outlook, which played an integral role in their survival

Canadian fishermen who were lost at sea for nearly three days managed to survive by keeping themselves in high spirits aboard their life-raft

For the fishermen, the most difficult part of being lost at sea was thinking about the pain and suffering their families were experiencing. 

‘The hardest thing about it was knowing we were alive and everyone here thinking the opposite,’ the captain of the Elite Navigator told CBC.

Llewellyn Howell, whose brother was one of the missing crew members, explained that people who are reared in fishing communities are taught to expect the worst when it comes to incidents like these.

‘The thing is, we thought there was no chance. None whatsoever.’

When the crew returned to their native New-Wes-Valley, a small fishing village in Newfoundland and Labrador, on Saturday, they were greeted by hundreds of jubilant townsfolk.

Cheerful villagers stood on docks and held balloons and signs that hailed the return of their lost loved ones. Awe-struck citizens threw confetti in the air. 

The fishermen were hugged by tearful family members who were certain they were dead. 

Townsfolk hurry to the dock so that they can welcome home the fishermen

The crewmembers were greeted by welcome home signs like this one

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As the crew approached the shore in a coast guard rescue vessel, some intrepid members of the community went out to greet them in boats of their own.

When Greg Pretty, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union, heard that the fishermen had been rescued, he was so relieved he could hardly sleep. 

‘To see this come to a successful conclusion, like I suggested yesterday, is a great news story for this province and this whole country,’ Pretty said to the CBC. 

On social media, Premier Andrew Furey expressed his relief at the news of the rescue.

‘Our entire province is so relieved to hear the crew members of the Elite Navigator have been found and are returning to safety to their families, who have been waiting so anxiously for this good news,’ he wrote.

The premier also made sure to thank the ‘dedicated people involved in the search and rescue effort.’

In addition to four coast guard vessels, a Cormorant helicopter and Hercules aircraft were also dispatched for the rescue effort.

A number of local fishing vessels also volunteered to assist in the search. 

At a news briefing on Saturday, Premier Furey confirmed that there were no injuries.

‘Everybody is in good health with no obvious injuries,’ he said, as per the CBC.

The seven crew members pictured alongside their rescuers, the Canadian coast guard

New-Wes-Valley is a small fishing village in Newfoundland and Labrador 

New-Wes-Valley Mayor Michael Tiller said that after the rescue, the town has breathed a collective sigh of relief.

‘Being human, you always have that fear in the back of your mind that the worst will happen.’ Tiller said.

‘But when word started to spread [that they had been rescued] it was like a huge weighted blanket lifted after region and people were celebrating it,’ he told the CBC.

‘It hits home because in small-town Newfoundland, you know everybody. You know who they are and you know their parents, their relatives, you know the boat owners,’ he said. 

The triumphant mayor hailed the outcome as a miracle.

‘It’s nothing short of a miracle,’ he said. 

The crew members abandoned their ship, the Elite Navigator, after it caught fire

Jordan Lee King, who was one of the lost crew members, was not surprised when the helicopter eventually found them.  The seasoned fisherman was certain they’d be rescued. 

‘I felt amazing, I couldn’t wait to get on board and get something to eat,’ he said. ‘It’s good to be home.’

David Lee Tiller, another crew member, told the CBC that he felt fortunate to be alive. 

‘I’d fish with all the boys again tomorrow, any day. But thanks to the big one above we are home alive,’ Tiller said.