5 Oct 2012

Search underway in Kiribati for three missing at sea

2:06 pm on 5 October 2012

The United States Coast Guard is searching for three fishermen on a skiff off Tarawa atoll in Kiribati.

The three men were travelling from Maiana Island to Tarawa, and were reported missing on Tuesday

A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft has been deployed to the area to assist in the search efforts.

The Coast Guard's Anthony L Soto says searchers are using drift patterns to try to find the missing men.

"We are using data marker buoys, which assist us in calculating the drift and current direction in the water. And we have adjusted our calibrations for our search models to conform with the types of boats matching descriptions of their canoes, which are little bit different than the vessels which we are more use to searching for, mostly because these vessels are smaller and more susceptible to wind and currents."

Petty officer Third Class, Anthony L Soto.