The New Zealand Air Force has joined a search for three missing Kiribati fishermen who have been missing in the Pacific Ocean for more than five days.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion aircraft (file picture). Photo: Supplied
The men, aged 25, 27 and 30 years old, were last seen leaving Betio Island, the largest town of South Tarawa, on a 4.5-metre wooden boat on Monday morning.
An Air Force Orion was expected to arrive in the search area this morning.
The search area is between Maiana and Tarawa, which is about 4300 kilometres north of Auckland, and encompasses 34,300 square kilometres.
Maiana is an atoll 44km south of Kiribati's capital island of South Tarawa.