Royal New Zealand Air Force locates Kiribati fishermen stranded at sea for days

December 8, 2020

Members of the Royal New Zealand Air Force have found four fishermen who had been reported missing while fishing to the north of Tarawa, Kiribati.

According to the air force, the men had last been seen in Betio Town, Tarawa, on December 4 and had left to go fishing near the northern end of Tarawa.

Crew of a P-3K2 Orion spotted the men in their 12-foot fibreglass boat around 11.20am this morning.

Their boat was drifting approximately 140 nautical miles west of Tarawa, the military said in a statement.

"The air crew dropped a survival pack including a radio to the fishermen, and a nearby fishing vessel was directed to the area to rescue the four. The P-3K2 remained overhead until the four fishermen were taken on board that vessel this afternoon."

Last month, air crew of an Orion were also called in for a search and rescue, locating two boats in quick succession after they had been reported missing from Kiribati.

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