▲ Pohnpei Island in the Federated States of Micronesia, photographed from an aircraft
Five people aboard a small boat who went missing in the Pacific Ocean have been rescued after drifting across about 5,400 kilometers of the open sea for roughly three months.
According to Australia's public broadcaster ABC and other outlets on November 3 (local time), a small boat about 6 meters long carrying three adult men and two boys was spotted and rescued by local residents on November 1 in the waters near Fanning Island, an island nation in the South Pacific of Kiribati.
All of them were reportedly suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition, but they are currently recovering after receiving intravenous fluid treatment.
A Kiribati nursing official told ABC, "They are managing to smile and have expressed a desire to eat food."
The boat had departed on July 30 with a total of nine people on board from Murilo Atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia for the nearby Ruo Island, a journey of about one hour by boat.
However, the U.S. Coast Guard based in Guam near the Federated States of Micronesia announced that the boat encountered a storm along the way and failed to arrive at Ruo Island, prompting a missing persons report.
Upon receiving the report, the Coast Guard, with support from U.S. Navy and Air Force aircraft, searched a vast ocean area spanning 85,700 square kilometers for ten days, but called off the search after finding no trace of the boat or its occupants.
The Coast Guard stated, "The fact that these five individuals have been found and are currently receiving treatment is truly amazing and joyful news."
Regarding the remaining four missing individuals, it added, "We express our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who could not return together," and noted that it is gathering and verifying information regarding their whereabouts.
The distance from Murilo Atoll, where the group departed, to Fanning Island, where they were rescued, spans approximately 5,400 kilometers.
Alexander Narruhn, Governor of Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia, said discussions have begun with the Kiribati government to bring the survivors home.
Governor Narruhn said, "There were nine people on the missing boat," adding, "Being able to find five of the nine is thanks to God's love and mercy, and we continue to pray for our four remaining companions."
Previously, last week, an 18-year-old boy who went out fishing on a fishing boat from Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, was rescued near Tarawa Atoll in Kiribati, located more than 2,100 kilometers away, after drifting for 41 days due to a boat engine failure.
His cousin, who was aboard with him, died along the way.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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