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5 people rescued in South Pacific after months adrift at sea, 4 others missing
CBS News • • world
Key Points:
- Five people, including two children, were rescued in Kiribati after drifting 3,355 miles at sea for three months in a 20-foot skiff; four others remain missing.
- The group went missing on July 30 during a short crossing between islands in Micronesia and was found off Fanning Island by villagers following a 10-day search.
- The survivors were severely dehydrated and malnourished but are recovering under medical care on the island, while authorities continue efforts to locate the missing four.
- Micronesian officials are coordinating with Kiribati to repatriate the survivors, who have requested privacy and have not yet spoken publicly about their ordeal.
- Similar incidents of prolonged survival at sea have occurred in the Pacific, including a 2023 case of an Australian man and his dog drifting for over two months and a 2017 rescue of two American sailors after five months adrift.
