5 Mar 2018

Beacon the key to Tuvalu fishermen being found

7:51 pm on 5 March 2018
An Orion aircraft took off this afternoon at the request of the Fiji's Rescue Coordination Centre.

Photo: Twitter / NZDF

Three Tuvalu fishermen who had activated their vessel's emergency beacon were found adrift in the Pacific in a dinghy late yesterday.

The New Zealand Air Force's Commodore Andrew Clark, said the Tuvalu fishing vessel Talamoana found the fishermen in their four-metre aluminium dinghy and took them back to Niulakita Island, Tuvalu's southernmost island.

He says the successful outcome underscores the importance of vessels carrying emergency beacons.

A New Zealand Orion was sent on Sunday to locate the emergency beacon after a request from Fiji's Rescue Coordination Centre.