A Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion supporting the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's (AMSA) Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) has contributed to the successful rescue of ten people, reported missing near the Guadalcanal region of Solomon Islands.
The small boat and missing Islanders, who had been missing since Tuesday, were located by the RAAF AP-3C Orion crew at approximately 12.30pm yesterday afternoon.
The passengers were subsequently winched to safety by rescue helicopter.
The RAAF crew commenced their search tasking on Friday morning at the request of AMSA and the Solomon Islands Government.
Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Ash Power, praised the Orion crew for their efforts.
“They deployed at extremely short notice on this vital task and within an hour-and-a-half of arriving in the search area, were able to locate the missing vessel and its ten passengers, who, thankfully, were all in good health.
“This task highlights the capacity of our Defence Force to react quickly to requests for assistance and to work in cooperation with, and in support of, other agencies on life-saving missions,” Lieutenant General Power said.
Further details about missing vessel, the extent of the search and the subsequent recovery should be sought from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre– Honiara.
Issued by Ministerial and Executive Coordination and Communication,
Department of Defence,
Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999 Fax: 02 6265 6946
