Crew of Kon-Tiki2 balsa rafts rescued off coast of Chile

Marine researchers rescued on their two balsa rafts sailing from South America to Easter Island and back

14 rescued on the coast of Chile
14 rescued on the coast of Chile

The Chilean Navy rescued 14 crewmembers aboard two balsa rafts after the vessels were swept up in strong currents a hundreds of miles off Chile's coast.

The Kon-Tiki2 rafts, called Rahiti Tane and Tupac Yupanqi, set sail in early January from Chile's Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean toward the port city of Valparaiso, Chile.

Strong currents pulled them far off course. The Chilean Navy said in a statement that the rafts were about 994 miles west of Puerto Montt in southern Chile. The Navy was sending a merchant ship about 200 nautical miles (370km) away from the rafts plus a plane to track them from the sky.

Authorities said the 14 were rescued by the Vanuatu-flagged Hokuetsu Ushaka, which was the closest boat to the rafts.