Their boat was sighted by Malie islanders on Wednesday night drifting in the sea but they could not be rescued because the wind kept pushing them away from the places they were sighted.
One of the rescuers, Leonard Tsangregiet, said his wife was getting ready to go to work when she spotted the men near the reef.
He said when he went out to see, two other men were already there, pulling the three men’s boat away from the reef as they were all very weak.
“I towed them to the beach and the women in the village brought breakfast and clothes for them,” Tsangregiet said.
The three left their village last month to go fishing and ran out of fuel. They had been drifting for about five weeks.
They survived on the fish they caught and rationed their water, sipping only occasionally to keep themselves hydrated.
Later in the morning, they were taken to the Lihir medical centre for examination and were found to be in good condition. They have been admitted to the ward for 24 hours observation.
Lihir Gold Limited will provide food, clothes and interim accommodation while government authorities make arrangements for their return to Kiribati.
