Sydney  - Five villagers from Papua New Guinea were being treated for malnutrition and exposure in a Marshall Islands hospital Wednesday after being rescued following two months adrift in the Pacific Ocean.

A party of eight men set out from the mainland of Papua New Guinea on the 50-kilometre journey to Lihir Island but drifted off course when their boat ran out of fuel.

They were spotted by a helicopter serving a US-flagged fishing boat, the Ocean Encounter, and picked up near Nauru, Australia, ABC Radio reported.

A 17-year-old boy was lost overboard just days before the rescue, and two others died in the hours and days after they were rescued.

The Ocean Encounter arrived in Majuro, the Marshall Islands capital, on Tuesday. (dpa)