Remaining crew rescued from stricken yacht

14 June 2016 - 3.10pm

Two men and a woman have been rescued from their battered yacht, Platino, around 550 kilometres north of New Zealand by the crew of the container ship Southern Lily.

A rescue line was used to help get the trio safely on board around 3pm.

Meanwhile, an RNZAF P3 Orion resumed searching today for a fellow crewman, aged 63, lost overboard after the yacht sustained damage to its rigging yesterday morning. The aircraft subsequently took position above the two vessels later this morning, to provide support and communications during the rescue of the three crew from thePlatino.

The Orion returned to the search for the missing man around 3pm, once the trio were safely on-board the Southern Lily.

The body of another man who died in the incident remains on board the abandoned yacht, as it could not be safely transferred in the difficult conditions with three metre swells. An EPIRB beacon has been activated on the yacht to aid in tracking its location.

The yacht was abandoned after its condition deteriorated overnight as it lost steering and began taking on water.

The Rescue Coordination Centre NZ (RCCNZ) is coordinating the rescue operation and search for the missing man.

RCCNZ search and rescue mission coordinator John Dickson praised the master and crew of the Southern Lily for what was a difficult operation.

“It was not easy to get the three crew members from the yacht to the much larger ship in those sea conditions – they’ve done a tremendous job.

“We are obviously disappointed that it was not safe to transfer the body of the deceased crew member, but safety must come first. We will keep track of the position of the yacht.

“The search for the missing person has now resumed and will continue until around nightfall when the aircraft must return to New Zealand.”

The Southern Lily is now resuming its voyage to Auckland - this will take about two days..

ENDS

© Scoop Media