NZDF searches for three Kiribati fishermen missing for five days

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has joined the search for three Kiribati fishermen who have been missing in the Pacific Ocean for more than five days.

Air Commodore Darryn Webb, the Air Component Commander, said a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion aircraft deployed from Auckland at 4:30am and was expected to arrive at the search area later this morning.

“Given the distance to Kiribati, we’ve decided to start on this task early and maximise the time for the search effort,” Air Commodore Webb said.

The search area is between Maiana and Tarawa, which is about 4,300 kilometres north of Auckland, and encompasses 34,300 square kilometres. Maiana is an atoll 44 kilometres south of Kiribati’s capital island of South Tarawa.

Fiji’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) requested aerial search and rescue assistance from the NZDF after a local search since Tuesday failed to find the men.

The men, aged 25, 27 and 30 years old, were last seen leaving Betio Island, the largest town of South Tarawa, on a 4.5-metre wooden boat at 3am on 6 November. They intended to come home after a day of fishing.

Their supplies included 56 litres of fuel, a bucket of water and 20 buns, Fiji’s RCC said.

A local radio station also asked vessels in the area to be on the lookout for the missing fishermen.

The NZDF flew 234 hours on 19 search and rescue missions in New Zealand and the Pacific in 2016, up 59 per cent from the 147 flying hours recorded the previous year. Since January, it has flown more than 80 hours on seven search and rescue missions. Its last search and rescue operation, on October 18, involved three Kiribati fishermen who had been missing for four days in the Pacific Ocean.