More details emerge of islanders’ sea ordeal

MORE details are emerging about the eight young men from New Ireland who spent two months adrift in the Pacific Ocean.
The US-owned Ocean Encounter fishing vessel picked up seven of the men off the coast of Nauru last Friday.
Official documents confirming their ages and the details of their ordeal have been obtained by Radio Australia.
According to the Captain’s report, the Ocean Encounter’s helicopter spotted the small craft adrift and could see two or three persons waving in what appeared to be gestures for help.
The pilot radioed the ship’s captain who changed course for the distressed vessel which was approximately 7km away.
The Rescue and Recovery report confirmed that all men showed signs of overexposure and malnutrition.
The report also outlines how two of the men were so weak they had to be carried on board.
Those men later died en route to a hospital in Marshall Islands.
A log of the rescued survivors confirmed that they were aged between 18 and 29 and came from New Ireland province.