Five people, including two children, were rescued on Kiribati’s Fanning Island after drifting at sea for nearly three months, according to reports. Villagers found the group on Sunday, November 1, after their boat travelled thousands of kilometres from the waters of Micronesia.
The five survivors were among nine people who left on July 30 in a 20-foot skiff. They intended to travel between Murilo and Ruo islands in the Federated States of Micronesia, but were caught in a storm. The boat was carried about 5,400 kilometres east, according to ABC News.
The U.S. Coast Guard conducted a 10-day search after the boat went missing but found no sign of it. The agency later welcomed the survivors’ rescue and expressed condolences to the families and friends of those who had not made it back, in comments reported by The Associated Press.
Local lawmaker Kaotitaake Rakoroa said the five received medical treatment and were being cared for by a pastor on Fanning Island. The group included three adults and two children.
Chuuk state Governor Alexander Narruhn said he was in talks with the Kiribati government about bringing the survivors home. In a statement, he said nine people had been aboard the missing boat and gave thanks that five had been found. The other four had not been located in the reports published after the rescue.
Clayton Ward