Kiribati fishermen find man alone, dehydrated and lost at sea

• Topic:Accidents and Emergency Incidents

Posted Wed 28 Oct 2026 at 10:14amWed 28 Oct 2026 at 10:14am

In short:

A group of Kiribati fishermen has rescued a Papua New Guinean man who was lost at sea.

Luka Rahan was adrift for 41 days after issues with his boat's engine.

What's next?

The 18-year-old is recovering in hospital before he is sent home.

An 18-year-old Papua New Guinean man has been rescued after 41 days lost at sea.

Luka Rahan set off on a fishing trip with his cousin from their home in northern Bougainville last month.

While at sea, the pair experienced issues with the boat's motor and, with no anchor on board, began to drift.

A group of Kiribati fishermen found Mr Rahan alone and severely dehydrated adrift on his boat between the islands of Tarawa and Maiana, about 2,000 kilometres away, on Tuesday afternoon.

The ABC understands his cousin died at sea the week before.

Mr Rahan was taken to Kiribati's capital, Tarawa, where he is now recovering in hospital.

Jonathan Anthony Kunau, who works in Tarawa, visited his fellow Papua New Guinean in hospital when he heard about the rescue.

"That is why I have to go down and check and make sure that he's well," he told the ABC.

"He's from my country. I need to be there for him; make him to feel at home, at ease.

"It's just moral support; he needs to get well soon."

Mr Kunau, who helped translate for local authorities and healthcare workers, said Mr Rahan was responsive and working to regain his strength.

Mr Kunau said he was then able to inform the boy's immediate family, who were "grateful" to hear that he was safe in hospital.

It is the second long-distance rescue involving Bougainvilleans in Kiribati in about a month.

Three people from Nissan Island in Bougainville returned home from Kiribati after about 70 days adrift on a boat.

The fishermen told the ABC they survived on raw turtle meat and cocoa.

Mr Kunau, an engineer in Kiribati, encouraged fishermen to keep a compass, an anchor and a phone on board in case of an emergency.