Leak sinks Penn's rescue mission hopes

Sean Penn was so frustrated by the search and rescue efforts in the inundated streets of New Orleans that he launched his own personal rescue mission, only for his boat to spring technical difficulties, ie a leak.

According to Australia's Melbourne Herald Sun, he was forced to bail out with a red plastic cup when the vessel started filling with water. Then the motor didn't start, forcing him and his crew to paddle by hand.

Nonetheless, the Oscar winning actor, accompanied by a photographer and other helpers, managed to reach several people who had been trapped in their homes since the hurricane hit on August 29.

After rescuing the victims, Penn gave them money and even took some of them to hospital. Thankful Johnnie Brown, 73, a retired custodian who was picked up by Penn, told his sister over the phone: "Guess who come and got me out of the house? Sean Penn, the actor. The boys were really nice."

Penn told reporters, "I'm doing whatever I can do to help. There's a lot of people out there. There's bodies everywhere. We could only do so many houses."

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