Missing at sea

Fourteen people are missing at sea in Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation said the boat left Gizo on Saturday, January 1, for the Shortland Islands.

Sibere Tauroa from Taro police, who is supervising a search operation, said among the 14 missing are women and two children - a nine-year-old and a four-year-old.

Mr Tauroa told SIBC News that two boats left Gizo on Saturday and travelled alongside each other destined for the Shortland Islands.

Baimuru man missing since last week

The man, identified as Michael James, was working as a deck hand on a Taiwanese fishing boat when he went missing.

He was last seen by a member of the crew on Thursday evening on the deck of the Diamon 2 however, they never realised he was missing until later on in the evening.

Family members of the Gulf man were at the downtown Port Moresby police station yesterday.

An emotional big brother, Aaron James, said they had reported Michael missing on Saturday however, nothing much could be done.

Aerial search finds no sign of missing Kiribati fishermen

The 30-year-old and 45-year-old went missing in an area around Nonouti Atoll last week.

A New Zealand Air Force Orion has been flying over the area where the men are thought most likely to be but there's been no sign of them.

The Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Suva said the aircraft is making one last pass over the area before it returns to New Zealand.

There are also two boats from Kiribati involved in the search.

The missing vessel did not have an emergency distress beacon on board.