Five rescued after three months adrift in Pacific storm

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 3 Nov, 21:33 · Archive

Five people including two children were rescued after three months drifting in the Pacific Ocean following a storm.

Five people, including two children, have been rescued after drifting for three months in the Pacific Ocean. They were part of a group of nine who set off from Murilo in Micronesia on 30 July for what was meant to be a one-hour boat crossing to neighbouring island Ruo. The vessel was caught in a powerful storm that blew them far off course, leaving them adrift roughly 3,400 miles from their intended destination.

Villagers on Fanning Island in Kiribati, a remote coral atoll in the central Pacific, spotted the survivors on Sunday and rescued them. The survivors have been named as Wanis Weita, Wboy Weita, Akinis David, Paul Paul and Tedwin Paul. Medical staff found them severely dehydrated and malnourished. Nursing officer Paukin Tororo told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that they were put on intravenous drips and showed signs of recovery, with survivors beginning to eat and smile.

The survivors are currently being cared for by a pastor on Fanning Island. Kiribati MP Kaotitaake Rakoroa recommended they be urgently transferred to Kirimati Island, the closest urban centre, for further medical treatment. The survivors have requested privacy and have not publicly spoken about their experience.

The US Coast Guard in Micronesia, supported by the US Navy and Air Force, had conducted a search covering 25,000 nautical miles before calling off the operation on 9 August. The coast guard told the Associated Press: 'Incredible and wonderful news these five folks were found and are receiving care.' It said it was continuing to gather information about the four missing people.

Micronesian politician Alexander Narruhn, governor of Chuuk state, welcomed the rescue but acknowledged the families' continued grief. 'There were nine people aboard the boat that went missing,' he said. 'Thanks be to God for his love and mercy that five of the nine people have been found. We continue to pray for their four companions.' Narruhn has asked the president of the Federated States of Micronesia to begin talks with the Kiribati government to arrange for the survivors' return home.

How it is being reported

• Five people rescued after three months drifting on the Pacific OceanFanning Island is a remote coral atoll in the central Pacific (Picture: Getty Images) Five people, including two children, have been rescued after spending three months adrift in the Pacific Ocean. A group of nine people originally set off on July 30 for what should have been a routine one-hour…Metro · 3 Nov, 16:51
• 5 people rescued in South Pacific after months at sea, 4 still missingThe U.S. Coast Guard in Guam confirmed that the skiff with nine people aboard had been reported missing in July.CBS News · 3 Nov, 15:18
• Two children among 5 rescued after being stranded at sea for three months: officialsTwo children and three other people were miraculously found alive and rescued after being stranded on a tiny boat in the Pacific Ocean for three months, officials said. The group was among nine who set off from the island of Murilo in Micronesia for a one-hour tour on July 30, before being swept away at...New York Post · 2 Nov, 21:59
• Five people including two children are rescued after three months adrift in the Pacific having been blown off course in small boatThe survivors were part of a group of nine, who in late July set off from the island of Murilo in Micronesia for what was meant to be a one-hour crossing to neighbouring island Ruo.Daily Mail · 2 Nov, 11:20

In this story: Murilo · Ruo Island · Fanning Island · Kiribati · Micronesia · US Coast Guard · Alexander Narruhn · Kaotitaake Rakoroa

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