Search Resumes for Missing Kiribati Fishermen

Media Release

9 November 2016

SEARCH RESUMES FOR MISSING KIRIBATI FISHERMEN

A New Zealand Defence Force aircraft has resumed the search for three fishermen who have been missing at sea off the Pacific Islands nation of Kiribati since last week.

Air Commodore Darryn Webb, the Air Component Commander (head of Air Force operations) , said a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion surveillance aircraft took off from Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, around 10.30am NZ time and was expected to search for up to nine hours.

The search area has been expanded to 16,000 square nautical miles and is located halfway between Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, the island nation of Nauru and Majuro, the capital of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

The Kiribati search vessel NAKORAOI is assisting in the search.

The men were last seen leaving Tarawa on 1 November, in a five-metre wooden fishing boat.

ENDS

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