Five rescued after 3,355 mile drift in South Pacific

Five people, including two children, were rescued in Kiribati after spending approximately three months adrift in a 20-foot boat in the South Pacific. Another four individuals from the same vessel remain missing.

The incident began on July 30 when the boat departed Ruo Island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The nine passengers were making a one-hour crossing to Murilo Island when a storm struck. The vessel failed to return to Ruo, prompting a report to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A search operation covering 33,000 square miles was conducted for 10 days immediately after the boat went missing. No traces of the skiff or its occupants were found during that initial period. The Coast Guard in Guam confirmed the details of the search on Tuesday.

Villagers located the surviving five people on Sunday near Fanning Island in Kiribati. The group had drifted an estimated 3,355 miles east from their point of departure. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that the rescue was carried out by local residents.

Nursing officer Paukin Tororo stated on Monday that all five survivors arrived in a state of severe dehydration and malnutrition. They were immediately placed on intravenous drips. Tororo noted that the patients showed signs of recovery, including the ability to smile and express a desire to eat.

Kaotitaake Rakoroa, a lawmaker in Kiribati, told the Australian broadcaster that a pastor on the island is currently providing care for the group. The survivors have requested privacy and have not yet spoken publicly about their experience at sea.

Alexander Narruhn, the governor of Chuuk state in Micronesia, issued a statement on Sunday. He announced that negotiations had begun with the Kiribati government to facilitate the return of the survivors to their homeland. The U.S. Coast Guard expressed relief in an email to The Associated Press, describing the discovery of the five individuals as wonderful news while offering condolences to the families of the four missing.