The key facts

  • Five survivors, including two children, found near Fanning Island in Kiribati after roughly three months adrift
  • The group of nine set out to sea on July 30 and ran into a storm; the US Coast Guard searched more than 85,000 sq. km over 10 days but did not find the boat
  • Chuuk State Governor Alexander Narun is negotiating with the government of Kiribati about returning the survivors home

Rescue after three months at sea

Five people, including two children, were rescued off the coast of Kiribati over the past weekend after roughly three months adrift in the Pacific Ocean. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, cited by Euronews, they were spotted by residents near Fanning Island on Sunday. It is reported that during their drift the group was carried about 5,400 km east of Micronesia.

How the drift began

A group of nine people set out to sea on July 30 in a 20-foot boat, intending to cross the stretch between the islands of Murilo and Ruo in Micronesia, but ran into a storm. After the vessel went missing, the US Coast Guard carried out a ten-day search operation over an area of more than 85,000 square kilometers, but found no trace of the boat. After the rescue, the agency told AP that it was

Condition of the survivors and plans for their return

Local lawmaker Kaotitaake Rakoroa said, according to ABC, that the five survivors have received medical care and are being looked after by a pastor on Fanning Island. The Governor of Chuuk State (Micronesia), Alexander Narun, said in a statement on Sunday that he is negotiating with the government of Kiribati about bringing the survivors home.