DATE: 19 June TIME: 4.30pm

Search for crew from yacht wrecked off Tonga 10

A party of nine searchers will spend the night on the island of Late, west of Vava’u, Tonga, with the land-based search continuing tomorrow for two men missing since their yacht, Navillus, was wrecked last Thursday night.

After two days of high seas, two fishing vessels successfully landed the searchers on the island and have also completed a sea-based search of the coastline around the island, with no sign found of the two men.

The conical island is bush-clad at shore level, although at its highest point, 518m, it is mostly clear of vegetation.

Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Mike Roberts said the search of the island should be completed tomorrow.

Two full days of aerial and on-water searching have so far failed to locate the two Australian men, both in their sixties, who reported via a satellite phone call to a relative in Victoria , Australia , that they had run aground and their 50ft Bavaria yacht, Navillus, was breaking up.

An emergency locator beacon was activated at the same time, around 10.30pm on Thursday.

The yacht’s wreckage was found the next day but extensive on-water searching following drift modelling undertaken by RCCNZ, as well as an aerial search of over 191 square nautical miles by an RNZAF P3 Orion failed to find the men. A significant amount of debris/flotsam was found in a trail offshore and to the south of the wrecked yacht's position, which was recovered ashore by rescue vessels.

The Police in Victoria are coordinating contact with the next of kin.

RCCNZ will not release the names of those involved.

A further update will be issued at 9am tomorrow (NZT).

ENDS

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