What ever you decide, do it quickly. Reminds me of the 17th July 1983 when Aero Commander VH-WJC went down in the Bass Straight. It took 2 hour to get a helicopter over the crew. Too late sadly. Bob Vowles in an F27 (VH-FNO) was over the top very quickly but there was little he could do.
On Feb 07th 1974 near a flooded Mungerbah Station in NW QLD, flying a C210, I spotted an 'SOS' made out of rocks. I landed on a nearby road and rescued a stockman with a burst appendix. When I got airborne, Townville Flight Service gave me 'permission to conduct a Mercy Flight'. I had been and gone by then. Just do what you think is right with safety, stuff the Rules.