Early morning distress calls from the four‑person crew of an 18‑metre New Zealand yacht off the coast of Fiji has started a search by the New Zealand Air Force.
The Air Force says messages from the yacht's crew to relatives overnight about 2am said the vessel's backstay was broken, affecting the yacht's ability to sail.
The yacht activated its emergency beacon at dawn approximately 425 kilometres southeast of Suva.
Air Commodore Darryn Webb says a P‑3K2 Orion aircraft left Auckland this morning to search for the yacht and is expected to reach its estimated location before midday today.
