Most of us would struggle to go a single day without food or fresh water, let alone six weeks. But an 18-year-old from Papua New Guinea has been found alive after drifting across the Pacific Ocean for 41 days.
Luka Rahan was found by a group of fishermen from Kiribati on Tuesday afternoon, October 27. He was alone and severely dehydrated in a small boat floating between the islands of Tarawa and Maiana.
By then, he was around 2,000 kilometers (about 1,240 miles) from home.
How did Luka Rahan end up lost at sea?
According to ABC News, Luka left north Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea, on a fishing trip with his cousin about six weeks earlier.
Things went wrong when the boat’s motor failed. The pair reportedly had no anchor on board, so nothing could stop the current from carrying them farther and farther out to sea.
It’s not yet known how Luka survived for so long or what food and water he had with him.
He has since been taken to a hospital in Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, where he is recovering.
What happened to Luka’s cousin?
Luka was the only person on the boat when the fishermen reached it.
ABC understands that his cousin died at sea the week before Luka was found, although the details haven’t been confirmed. The cousin has not been named.
A fellow Papua New Guinean visits Luka in the hospital
When Jonathan Anthony Kunau, a Papua New Guinean engineer working in Tarawa, heard about the rescue, he went straight to the hospital.
He told ABC’s Pacific Beat, “He’s from my country, he’s my countryman.” He added to ABC News that his visit was “just moral support.”
Kunau also had a message for anyone heading out in a small boat. He urged fishermen to carry “a compass, an anchor and a phone.”
For Luka, the road to recovery is only just beginning. His family back in Bougainville will be grieving the loss of a loved one even as they celebrate his survival.
We’re sending our thoughts to Luka as he recovers, and to everyone mourning his cousin.
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