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Five people rescued after months lost at sea

Published

Five people, including two children, survived after a boat trip between two Indonesian islands went wrong. Their boat was spotted near Fanning Island in Kiribati, about 5,600 km from where it began. Four others on board are unaccounted for.

Nine people set off on a planned one-hour trip between two Indonesian islands. The group went missing on 30 July after a storm blew their boat off course. Villagers on Fanning Island helped bring the five survivors to safety.

Searches ended in early August. It is not clear how the survivors lived through the months at sea or what happened to the other four people.

Key facts

Who
Adam Gilchrist (world news correspondent reporting on 702)
What
Nine people set off on a planned one-hour boat trip between two Indonesian islands; a storm blew their boat off course and it was spotted around 5,600 km away, near Fanning Island in Kiribati, where villagers helped bring five survivors to safety. The other four people on board are unaccounted for, and it is unclear how the survivors lived.
When
6 November 2026
Where
Indonesia, Murilo, Ruau
Status
Reported

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