5,400 km of drift aboard a six-meter boat: five shipwrecked including two children rescued after three months in the Pacific

A miracle such as rarely exists. Five people, including two children, were found alive last Sunday, November 1, near Fanning Island, in the Kiribati archipelago. Authorities had lost track of them three months earlier after they left the island state of Micronesia on July 30 for an hour-long crossing in the Pacific Ocean between the coral islands of Murilo and Ruo along with four other passengers who are now presumed dead.

Aboard a 6-meter boat, the five miracles were caught in a storm before drifting approximately 5,400 kilometers east before being spotted and rescued by villagers. They were identified by the Australian channel ABC as three men (Wanis Weita, Wboy Weita and Akinis David), and two boys (Paul Paul and Tedwin Paul).

“It’s incredible and wonderful news that these five people have been found and are being cared for,” the U.S. Coast Guard told the Associated Press. “We send our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who did not arrive with them,” she continued. The US Coast Guard suspended its search on August 9 after 10 days of effort over more than 85,000 square meters. Planes from the American Navy and Air Force were also mobilized.

On Sunday, a Kiribati MP told the ABC that the survivors were being cared for by a pastor on the island. The next day, a nurse reported that they were severely dehydrated and malnourished. All have been put on intravenous drips and are showing signs of recovery. “They manage to crack a smile, they signal that they want to eat,” Paukin Tororo told ABC Australia.

Several rescues in a few weeks

The governor of Micronesia's Chuuk state, Alexander Narruhn, issued a statement on Sunday saying he had begun diplomatic talks with the Kiribati government to arrange the repatriation. “There were nine people on board the missing boat. Let us thank God for his love and mercy: five of them have been found,” the local chief executive said through an interpreter. “We continue to pray for their four companions,” he added. The area's MP, Kaotitaake Rakoroa, recommended their transfer to Kiritimati for further medical treatment.

The five victims have so far not wished to speak publicly about their ordeal and have asked that their privacy be respected, the Australian channel reported. We therefore still do not know if they survived thanks to the rain, fishing or the food reserves possibly present on board their boat. Relatives remaining in Micronesia, however, told ABC that they were able to come into contact with some of them.

In the space of a few weeks, several rescues were carried out in the waters of Kiribati, recalls ABC. Last week, Luka Rahan, an 18-year-old from Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, was rescued between the islands of Tarawa and Maiana after drifting more than 2,000 km for 41 days to Kiribati. His cousin did not survive. Last month, three Bougainville residents also survived drifting at sea for around 70 days by consuming dried coconuts, cocoa, fish and turtles.