Missing boat with six aboard found by NZ Air Force plane
The six people had left Namuka Island for Fulaga in the Lau Group in Fiji on Thursday morning but failed to reach their destination.
A New Zealand Air Force plane located a missing boat carrying six people off the coast of Fiji on Friday evening. The vessel had departed Namuka Island for Fulaga in the Lau Group the previous Thursday morning but failed to reach its destination. The Air Force Poseidon crew performed a radar and visual search before spotting the boat at 5:30pm, approximately 14.6 nautical miles southwest of Vanuavatu.
The crew of the nearby Fiji Navy ship Savenaca was alerted, and they arrived to rescue the group shortly after 8pm. Due to rough sea conditions, the Air Force plane remained overhead until the Savenaca reached the location. The rescued individuals were taken to Suva for medical evaluation and subsequently reunited with their families.
The rescue mission was initiated while the crew was on a planned fishery patrol when they received a new tasking. Strong winds and 3.5-meter swells, creating salt spray that reduced visibility, made the search challenging. The crew spent six hours searching before locating the boat. This rescue follows several other incidents at sea in Pacific waters, including a similar situation a week and a half ago where six Fijian health workers were rescued after their boat capsized in Lau Province due to a capsizing and engine failure.
Written by urgent.news from RNZ Pacific's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
