The key facts

  • An 18-year-old resident of Papua New Guinea drifted in the ocean for 41 days after his boat's engine broke down
  • He was found on October 27 by fishermen from Kiribati between the islands of Tarawa and Maiana, roughly 2,000 km from home
  • The young man's cousin died; the rescued man has been hospitalized with severe dehydration

Rescue after 41 days

An 18-year-old resident of Papua New Guinea, Luka Rahan, has been found alive after drifting for 41 days in the open Pacific Ocean. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru, citing the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). According to journalists, in September the young man set out fishing with his cousin from the north of Bougainville island. At sea, the boat's engine broke down, and there was no anchor on board, so the vessel began drifting with the current.

Where and how he was found

On October 27, a Tuesday, Rahan was spotted by a group of fishermen from Kiribati. His boat was located between the islands of Tarawa and Maiana — roughly 2,000 kilometers from his home. The young man was alone and severely dehydrated. He was taken to Kiribati's capital, Tarawa, where he is recovering in a hospital.

The fate of his cousin

Sources differ on the details concerning the second fisherman. One Gazeta.Ru article states only that the young man's cousin did not survive; another, also citing ABC, specifies that he died at sea a week before the rescue. The exact date and circumstances of his death are not given in the available reports.

Support from compatriots

Upon learning of the rescue of his compatriot, Jonathan Anthony Kunau, who works in that city, came to the Tarawa hospital. “He is from my country. I must be by his side so that he feels at home. It is simply moral support. He needs to recover as soon as possible,” Gazeta.Ru quotes him as saying.