The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) informed that it has found seven survivors from a ferry with 50 people on board that was reported missing in Kiribati a week ago.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion aircraft conducted a multinational search for the missing ferry ‘MV Butiraoi’, and found has a dinghy adrift in the Pacific Ocean with seven people on board within two hours of reaching the search area.
The people on board the dinghy were three men – two aged in their 20s and one aged 34 – and four females – three in their 20s and one aged 14. They are understood to be in reasonable health, Maritime New Zealand informed.
A Kiribati marine patrol boat with medical personnel onboard will arrive tomorrow on the scene to collect the seven survivors rescued.
“The crew has dropped them aid supplies containing water, food and a radio and are currently trying to establish communication with them. The Orion will continue to search the area, making every effort to locate any more survivors, while awaiting the rendezvous with the fishing vessel,” Air Commodore Webb said.
The search area is in remote ocean 500 miles of west of Kiribati, which is a major factor in this operation. Weather conditions have been favourable in recent days.
“We have full confidence in the aircraft and the radar equipment they have onboard. The searchers are guided by RCCNZ’s drift modelling that takes into account wind and currents and targets their efforts to find any survivors,” Senior Search and Rescue Officer Greg Johnston said.
The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand has been coordinating the search since Saturday, in which Australia and the US will assist. Namely, the AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) Challenger search and rescue jet aircraft will start searching and the US Coast Guard’s C-130 Hercules is due to arrive on Tuesday.
‘Butiraoi’, an inter-island passenger ferry, departed from Nonouti Island on 18 January, heading to Betio, the largest township of Kiribati’s capital city, South Tarawa. As the 17-metre wooden catamaran did not arrive at its destination, search was launched.
According to local authorities, the boat ran aground and underwent repairs to its propeller shaft before it left Nonouti Island. It has a high frequency radio but it is not known whether it has enough fuel and emergency supplies on board, the New Zealand’s Defence Force mentioned.