Five Survivors Found Miraculously Alive and Thousands of Miles From Home After Three Months at Sea
A boat trip expected to last just one hour turned into a nearly 100-day struggle for survival in the Pacific Ocean.
By the time five people finally reached a remote island thousands of miles from home, they had suffered hunger, dehydration, and the devastating deaths of four relatives who had set out alongside them.
In an Aug. 10 statement, the Coast Guard confirmed that nine people had been aboard the boat when it failed to reach its destination on July 30. Three men and two teenage boys were found on Tabuaeran, known also as Fanning Island, in Kiribati on Nov. 1, more than three months after their 20-foot boat disappeared during a journey between islands in the Federated States of Micronesia.
Their survival came as a monumental shock; the U.S. Coast Guard had actually suspended its search in August, after spending 10 days combing tens of thousands of square miles of ocean without finding the missing vessel.
More recent reporting has revealed the remarkable circumstances that helped the survivors stay alive and eventually make it to shore.
A One-Hour Journey Became a Three-Month Ordeal
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The group departed Murilo Island on July 30. They anticipated a routine crossing to nearby Ruo Island. However, a storm dramatically disrupted their journey. Eventually, their boat ran out of fuel, leaving the group at the complete and utter mercy of the Pacific currents.
Their disappearance prompted a major rescue operation that brought in U.S. Coast Guard personnel and aircraft from the Navy and Air Force. Search crews covered some 25,000 square nautical miles across more than 31 search patterns before suspending operations on Aug. 9.
According to The New York Times, Micronesian official Arthur Irons II spoke several times with one of the five survivors. Irons said the passengers collected rainwater and attempted to signal distant ships and aircraft, although none came close enough to help. A nurse and a clerk on Fanning Island also told the newspaper that the group survived by catching birds and turtles for food.
ABC Australia identifies one of the survivors as Tedwin Paul, while The New York Times identifies him as Tedwinson Paul.
Four family members, including a child, died before the remaining passengers reached land. Their bodies were reportedly committed to the sea. By the time Fanning Island appeared on the horizon, the five survivors had traveled thousands of miles from the islands they had intended to visit.
Church Bells Helped Lead the Survivors to Safety
Their small boat eventually ran aground on the island’s coral shoreline, where it broke apart. Weak and exhausted from their ordeal, the survivors made their way toward a nearby village after hearing church bells ringing.
Residents initially struggled to understand what had happened to the strangers stumbling toward them. Once the circumstances became clear, the community helped the five survivors receive medical attention and shelter.
Nursing officer Paukin Tororo told ABC Australia that all five were suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition. They received intravenous fluids and had begun to show signs of improvement by Nov. 2. A local pastor also helped care for the group.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who remain missing,” said Coast Guard Oceania District spokesman Lt. Daniel Isaacson in an email.
