US Navy Rescues Six People Stranded Off Papua New Guinea

Six people, including an 18-month-old-boy, stranded on a small island northeast of Papua New Guinea were rescued by a US Navy helicopter crew and flown to a hospital ship on Tuesday, the US Navy reported. The group had become lost at sea in a small boat and had to swim ashore to Han Island, part of the Carteret Islands, officials said. They were said to be in good condition aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy.

The ship was in the area as part of an operation called Pacific Partnership, the “largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region,” according to the US Navy.

The islands are part of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. They are also reported to be the first geographic area home to people who need to be relocated because of global warming. Han and some of the other islands have experienced high-rising water and waves significant enough to destroy underground fresh water supplies and ruin crops. Credit: YouTube/US Navy