They left for a one-hour boat ride. They were found 3 months later

Five boaters from Micronesia who disappeared during what should have been a one-hour trip were found alive nearly three months later and thousands of miles from home. ABC News reported that the three men and two boys were rescued near Fanning Island in Kiribati after drifting about 3,355 miles across the Pacific Ocean.

The five were among nine people who left Murilo for nearby Ruo in the Federated States of Micronesia on July 30. Their 20-foot skiff never arrived. According to an official U.S. Coast Guard statement , crews spent 10 days searching roughly 25,000 square nautical miles before suspending the operation Aug. 9. More than 31 search patterns were completed.

Then came a remarkable discovery. Villagers near Fanning Island found the five survivors Sunday, The Associated Press reported . The group was severely dehydrated and malnourished and received intravenous fluids. A local nursing officer said they were already showing signs of recovery.

The survivors have asked for privacy and have not publicly described everything that happened during their months at sea. Other reporting said the group had been caught in a storm during the short trip. The Coast Guard said it was relieved the five had been found and were receiving care.

Chuuk Gov. Alexander Narruhn said officials were working with Kiribati to bring the survivors home. ABC News reported that details about the other four people initially had not been released. Later reporting from the Chuuk governor's office said the four did not survive.

Read the original article on silive.com . Add silive.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here .