Kiribati Rescue: Five Survivors Found After 3,355-Mile Drift

A small boat that vanished during a routine crossing in July has ended a three-month ordeal in the South Pacific, with five survivors found off the coast of Kiribati.

Villagers rescued the group on Sunday near Fanning Island in Kiribati. The boat, a 20-foot skiff, had drifted an estimated 3,355 miles east from the Federated States of Micronesia. The five people pulled from the water included two children.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Guam confirmed on Tuesday that the vessel was last seen on July 30 when it failed to return to Ruo Island in Micronesia. The boat had been carrying nine people. A search operation lasted 10 days and covered 33,000 square miles but failed to locate the craft or its passengers.

Nursing officer Paukin Tororo told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday that all five survivors were severely dehydrated and malnourished upon arrival. Medical staff placed the group on intravenous drips. Tororo noted that the survivors showed signs of recovery, stating, “They can give a smile face, they show the sign they want to eat.”

Four people from the original group remain missing. The U.S. Coast Guard did not immediately respond to a request for details regarding their fate. A lawmaker in Kiribati, Kaotitaake Rakoroa, said the survivors are currently being cared for by a local pastor on the island.

Alexander Narruhn, the governor of Chuuk state in Micronesia, began discussions with the Kiribati government on Sunday to arrange for the survivors' return home. He said in a statement, “There were nine people aboard the boat that went missing. Thanks be to God for his love and mercy that five of the nine have been found.”

The Australian broadcaster reported that the group had been attempting a one-hour crossing between Murilo and Ruo islands when a storm struck. The survivors have requested privacy and have not yet spoken publicly about their time at sea.