Missing Kiribati fishermen found

The three missing Kiribati fishermen the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) was helping search for were found drifting in the Pacific Ocean by a Chinese fishing boat late on Tuesday.

Air Commodore Darryn Webb, the Air Component Commander, said the men were found drifting near Ocean Island, about 460 kilometres southwest of their destination Betio, the largest township of Kiribati’s capital city, South Tarawa.

“We are pleased that the fishermen have been found alive and well. With no communications equipment, flares or emergency provisions, the outcome could have been far worse,” Air Commodore Webb said.

“I’d like to commend the P-3K2 Orion crew for their professionalism and skill. We are always ready to play our part at home and in the region to help those in need.”

The NZDF deployed a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion aircraft at 4am on Tuesday to help in the search following a request from the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand.

Air Commodore Webb said the Orion, which searched an area spanning more than 28,000 square kilometres, would return to New Zealand today.

The three men — ages 64, 33 and 28 — left Betio in a six-metre wooden canoe about 10pm on Friday to fish near Buariki Reef, about 28 kilometres away in northern Tarawa. The men’s relatives sounded the alarm at 5am on Saturday after they failed to return.

A local vessel had been searching the area since Saturday and radio stations had asked vessels in the area to be on the lookout for the missing fishermen.

The NZDF flew nearly 140 hours on 13 search and rescue missions in New Zealand and the Pacific in 2017.