US Coastguard to continue search for missing six

Authorities in Kiribati are continuing to coordinate the search for six young people missing at sea since Friday (6 May) off the main atoll of Tarawa, with further help from the United States Coastguard (USCG).

An extensive search over the last several days has found no sign of the missing group, which comprises two 19-year-old boys and four girls aged, 8,9,12 and 14 years.

Kiribati authorities contacted the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) and the Royal New Zealand Airforce (RNZAF) on Sunday (8 May) to request further assistance in looking for the missing group, who were last seen leaving their home village of Marenanuka on the north eastern side of Tarawa atoll on Friday.

An RNZAF P3 Orion, which has been involved in the search since Sunday, will this evening finish its search and return to New Zealand. However, ongoing search planning support will provided to the Kiribati search and rescue authorities by RCCNZ as required.

Help is also being provided by the USCG, who currently have a Hercules aircraft in the air searching the area. This assistance is expected to continue for another 3-4 days.

Local and foreign vessels have also been on standby.

RCCNZ search and rescue officer Greg Johnston said the Orion had covered an estimated 60,000 square kilometre area looking for the group. Kiribati Police had also been conducting shoreline searches of atolls in the area, but without success.

Mr Johnston said all information gathered by RCCNZ and the RNZAF during the search was being shared with the Kiribati authorities and the USCG.

Searchers had also now corroborated earlier (unconfirmed) reports by local fishermen that a canoe found nearby near Buariki, about 6 nautical miles (11km) to the north west of Tarawa on Saturday, did in fact belong to the missing group. Although the canoe was not able to be recovered, a description of the vessel and floats recovered from it identified it as belonging to the group. However, the area of the find had been extensively searched without further sign, he said.

The missing group were on board a 9 foot outrigger canoe towing a 7 foot dingy, on an expedition to collect palm leaves for roofing when they went missing. The vessels were powered by poles and are believed to have drifted out of a lagoon and in to the open ocean.