Men from the Salomo Islands are lost at sea and live on ‘prayer and coconuts’ – INTERNATIONAL

Two Solomon Islanders got lost in the Pacific Ocean, surviving 29 days thanks to coconuts, oranges and prayer, before being rescued off the coast of Papua New Guinea, 400km away.

The two men were traveling between two islands in the unpredictable sea of ​​the Solomon Islands when their seven-meter boat was hit by a storm on September 3.

Nanjikana told Algerian Broadcasting Corporation television on Friday that Levi Nanjikana and Junior Colony were missing “under heavy rain, thick clouds and strong winds.”

The GPS battery ran out, and as night approached, they turned off the 60-horsepower engine to save fuel.

For the first nine days, they ate the oranges they took on the trip.

When they were exhausted, Levi Nanjikana explained that they survived thanks to the rainwater and coconut “and our faith in God because we pray day and night.”

The two men collected rainwater with a tarp, started the engine as soon as they spotted a coconut in the sea and ran to get it.

Levi Nanjikana explained, “After several days, God gave us the idea to build a sailing device. So we built a mast-shaped structure with oars and a tarpaulin and set the sails according to the direction of the wind.”

The sail took them to the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea, where they saw a fisherman from afar. They started the engine to get close to him, but the fuel ran out.

The two men remain in Pomeaux, New Britain, while arrangements are being made to move them to the Solomon Islands.