Two children and three other people have been found alive and rescued after spending three months adrift in a small boat in the Pacific Ocean, officials said.
The five survivors were among nine people who departed Murilo, Micronesia, on July 30 for what was expected to be a one-hour trip. A powerful storm swept them far out to sea, according to the US Sun.
The storm pushed the small vessel dramatically off course. Authorities eventually located the survivors near Fanning Island, part of the island nation of Kiribati.
The US Coast Guard in Micronesia searched an area spanning 25,000 nautical miles before ending the operation on Aug. 9.
Officials said the survivors were discovered almost 3,400 miles from their original departure point.
Local residents spotted the survivors three months after their disappearance and rushed to bring them to safety.
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Kiribati lawmaker Kaotitaake Rakoroa said the group received medical care and is now staying with a local pastor.
The member of parliament also called for the survivors to be taken to Kiribati for additional treatment.
Authorities released photographs showing the exhausted crew, who have asked for privacy.
There has been no word on the four other people who originally set out with the group.
Micronesian and Kiribati officials said they are working to arrange the survivors’ return home. Micronesian politician Alexander Narruhn said, “Thanks be to God” that the crew had been found.
“We continued to pray for their four companions,” Narruhn added.
