Overview
- Villagers on Fanning Island in Kiribati found and rescued five people, including two children, from a drifting 20-foot skiff on Sunday after the group had spent about three months at sea.
- The nine people had left Murilo for a routine one-hour crossing to Ruo on July 30 and were swept off course in a storm, with four of the original nine still missing.
- The U.S. Coast Guard, backed by Navy and Air Force aircraft, ran a roughly 10-day search in early August that covered tens of thousands of square miles before suspending operations on August 9.
- Local medical staff treated the rescued five for severe dehydration and malnutrition, giving intravenous fluids on Fanning Island and recommending transfer to Kiritimati for fuller care.
- Micronesian leaders have begun diplomatic talks with Kiribati to repatriate the survivors, and officials are continuing to gather information about the four people who remain unaccounted for.