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Five rescued after three months adrift in Pacific; four missing
Five people, including two children, have been rescued after drifting across the Pacific for three months when a storm blew their small boat off course. They were among nine people who set out from Murilo in Micronesia for a one-hour trip to nearby Ruo; their rescue near Fanning Island in Kiribati leaves four others unaccounted for.
Locals spotted the survivors, who were rescued on Sunday and have received medical checks. A local pastor is caring for them, and a Kiribati MP recommended transferring them to Kiritimati for further treatment; Micronesia has also sought talks to bring them home. The US Coast Guard suspended its search on 9 August after covering 25,000 nautical miles, while other recent cases in the region include an 18-year-old rescued after 41 days adrift.
In short
- Five people, including two children, survived three months adrift.
- Four others from the boat remain unaccounted for.
- Micronesia is seeking their return from Kiribati.
Explained simply
Micronesia and Kiribati are island nations in the Pacific, where many communities are separated by long stretches of ocean. Small boats are used for short trips between islands, but storms can push them far off course.
The people aboard set out from Murilo for nearby Ruo, a journey expected to take about an hour. Their rescue near Fanning Island, part of Kiribati, leaves four people unaccounted for; local authorities and Micronesia are discussing the survivors’ care and return home.
The case highlights how difficult it can be to find people at sea across the vast Pacific. Search teams may cover large distances, while survivors who reach land can still need medical care and help getting home.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Five people including two children are rescued after three months adrift in the Pacific having been blown off course in small boat”.