Six people on board a missing boat in Fiji waters have been found by the New Zealand Air Force.
The six people had left Namuka Island for Fulaga in the Lau Group on Thursday morning but failed to reach their destination.
The NZDF said the Air Force Poseidon crew carried out a radar and visual search before, in fading light, they spotted the vessel at 5:30pm on Friday evening, 14.6 nautical miles southwest of Vanuavatu.
The crew radioed the Fiji Navy ship Savenaca, which was operating nearby, and sailed to rescue the group shortly after 8pm.
The sea was rough, so the Air Force plane remained overhead until the Savenaca arrived.
The six people were taken to Suva for medical assessment before being reunited with their families.
No. 5 Squadron tactical coordinator and crew member, flight lieutenant Holly Graham, said they were preparing for a planned fishery patrol when they were re-tasked.
“The weather was challenging with strong winds and 3.5-metre swells creating salt spray which decreased visibility,” she said.
They spotted the boat after six hours of searching.
“It was a long day, but the crew was delighted with the outcome,” Graham said.
The rescue comes after a number of incidents at sea in Pacific waters.
A week and a half ago, six Fijian health workers were survived 36 hours adrift at sea after their boat capsized in remote waters in Lau Province.
The crew experienced engine failure in choppy conditions, forcing the fibreglass boat to take on water and eventually capsize.
They put on life jackets and clung to planks of wood that had served as the vessel’s seats to stay together.
It is understood the captain then attempted to swim to a nearby island for help and was found 24 hours later by a search party that had been dispatched after the crew failed to arrive at Oneata.
He informed rescuers about the remaining survivors, who were located at 7pm Thursday, 30 July, after a day-and-a-half in open ocean.
Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea media have reported a 14th body – believed to be that of a child – has been found following [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/792774/12-bodies-recovered-in-png-maritime-disasters-as-searches-continue last month’s maritime tragedy.
The Post-Courier reported East New Britain Provincial Police Commander, Superintendent Amanda Kates, saying vessels were being used to recreate the journey to better understand direction, wave patterns and currents, as investigation continues.
