The Chilean navy has rescued 14 people aboard two balsa wood rafts that were swept up in strong currents hundreds of kilometres off the coast.

The Kon-Tiki 1 and 2 rafts set sail in early January from Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean toward the Chilean port city of Valparaiso with the aim of documenting climate change, pollution and marine life.

But strong currents pulled them far off course and the group sent out a distress signal on Wednesday asking for assistance.

One of the Kon-Tiki rafts photographed from a Chilean spotter plane. Photograph: HO/AFP/Getty Images

The Chilean navy said in a statement that the rafts were about 1,600km (994 miles) west of Puerto Montt in southern Chile.

The navy sent a merchant ship about 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) away from the rafts plus a plane to track them from the sky.

In a statement, Kon-Tiki expedition leader Torgeir Higraff said they were aborting the voyage for safety reasons.

“In a normal year, we would have reached South America by now,” said Higraff. “Instead, we are still 900 nautical miles (1,667 kilometers) from land and the weather forecasts are not promising. The crew is in good health and spirit, and there is no emergency situation.”

The crews include citizens of Norway, Peru, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia and Sweden.

The original Kon Tiki set sail in 1947 from Peru. The expedition was led by Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl, who was seeking to prove his theory that winds and marine currents allowed for prehistoric sailing trips between South America and Polynesia.

After 101 days, Heyerdahl and five crew members reached the island of Raroia in the Tuamoto Archipelago. A book about the expedition was translated into dozens of languages. In 1951, Heyerdahl’s film about the journey won an Oscar.