18 July 2006
An Air Force Orion is due back at Tonga’s Fua’amotu Airport at around 4pm this afternoon after failing to find any sign of two fishermen two days overdue from a fishing trip near the Kao islands.
The Orion will rest its crew and re-fuel before heading back to the search area about 8am tomorrow morning.
Earlier today two people were safely taken off their yacht Tamujin, which had foundered on a reef off the coast of Eua Island.
Tongan police assisted the pair recover some of their belongings and will accompany them back to the mainland. Despite an extensive search covering about 45,000 square kilometres of a search area devised by Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand, the Orion couldn’t find any sign of the crew or their 8-metre vessel.
For further information contact:
Maritime New Zealand Media Line
Phone 04 499 7318
