Five Survivors Found After Three Months Adrift in 20-Foot Skiff off Kiribati

Five people, including two children, were rescued Sunday off Fanning Island in the South Pacific nation of Kiribati after drifting for three months in a 20-foot skiff, authorities said. Four others who had been aboard remain missing.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that villagers found the group after the boat had drifted an estimated 5,400 kilometers (3,355 miles) east from the Federated States of Micronesia. The five are being treated for severe dehydration and malnutrition, and medical staff say they are recovering.

How the boat went missing

According to the ABC, nine people were making what should have been a one-hour crossing between the islands of Murilo and Ruo in Micronesia when a storm caught them. The U.S. Coast Guard in Guam confirmed Tuesday that the skiff was reported missing after it failed to return to Ruo Island on July 30.

The Coast Guard said a 10-day search followed, covering 85,700 square kilometers (33,000 square miles). It found no sign of the boat or the people aboard.

The condition of the survivors

Kaotitaake Rakoroa, a lawmaker in Kiribati, told the ABC that a pastor on the island is caring for the survivors. Nursing officer Paukin Tororo told the broadcaster on Monday that all five were severely dehydrated and malnourished. She said they were put on intravenous drips and were showing signs of recovery, and that they were showing interest in eating.

The ABC reported that the survivors have not spoken publicly about what they went through and have asked for privacy.

What officials have said

The Coast Guard told The Associated Press in an email that it was “incredible and wonderful news” that the five were found and receiving care. It also offered condolences to the families and friends of those who did not arrive with them.

Asked by the AP what happened to the four missing people, the Coast Guard said it was still gathering and confirming information and would respond as soon as possible. No further details on the four had been released.

Alexander Narruhn, governor of Micronesia’s Chuuk state, issued a statement Sunday saying he had started talks with the Kiribati government to bring the survivors home. Speaking through an interpreter, he thanked God that five of the nine had been found and said people continue to pray for the other four. He did not immediately respond to an AP request for comment.

Why it matters

For the families in Micronesia, the rescue ends one part of a months-long wait but leaves the fate of four relatives and companions unresolved. Reports of the exact circumstances of the voyage, including how the group survived for so long, have not been made public, because the survivors have not yet spoken.

The case also shows how far a small boat can travel when it is carried off by a storm and ocean currents. A crossing that normally takes an hour ended with the skiff more than 5,400 kilometers from where it started, in waters where an earlier 10-day search covering a wide area found nothing.

What happens next

Narruhn’s talks with the Kiribati government are aimed at returning the survivors to Micronesia. No timeline for their trip home has been announced. The Coast Guard said it will continue collecting information about the four people who remain missing.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos