19 Mar 2018

Aerial search finds no sign of missing Kiribati fishermen

4:41 pm on 19 March 2018

An aerial search today has failed to find two Kiribati fishermen who have been missing for five days.

An Orion aircraft took off this afternoon at the request of the Fiji's Rescue Coordination Centre.

A New Zealand Air Force Orion. Photo: Twitter / NZDF

The 30-year-old and 45-year-old went missing in an area around Nonouti Atoll last week.

A New Zealand Air Force Orion has been flying over the area where the men are thought most likely to be but there's been no sign of them.

The Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Suva said the aircraft is making one last pass over the area before it returns to New Zealand.

There are also two boats from Kiribati involved in the search.

The missing vessel did not have an emergency distress beacon on board.