The fibreglass boat that carried the nine fishermen from Nanuku Settlement who were reported missing at sea after they failed to return from waters around Kadavu has been located south of Vunaniu Bay in Serua, but with no survivors.
The Fiji Navy says a mariner from Beach House in Vunaniu Bay located a semi-submerged fibreglass boat, which has been confirmed as the missing vessel.
The Fiji Navy says its teams have updated family members on this new development.
They add that search efforts, which began last Thursday, have now shifted to a search and recovery operation given the time elapsed and the nature of the discovered vessel.
The Fiji Navy also says that for their search operations, Northern Air’s fixed-wing aircraft DQ-NAS covered the designated search area, while Joyce Aviation’s rotary-wing aircraft DQ-MED also supported the search.
The nine fishermen departed Vatuwaqa Bridge by speedboat last Wednesday, heading to the Kadavu waters for a diving trip.
