Rescued Tongan fishermen in Suva [1]
Monday, August 25, 2014 - 17:42
Three Tongan fishermen rescued on a reef in the Lau Group earlier this month are in Suva to be flown back to Tonga soon once their travel documents are finalized.
The Police Commissioner Grant O'Fee said today although no specific date had been confirmed for their arrival in Tonga but he expected it might be sometime this week once immigration completed their travel arrangements.
The men from Nomuka were transported to Suva on a passenger ferry on Thursday, August 21 from the island of Oneata where they had been staying since being rescued by divers on 8 August.
‘Elone Taulafo a father in his 50’s, his son Sione and son-in-law Sofele Folau who are both in their 20's are reported to be well and are being taken care of by police in Suva.
On 8 August, police in Nuku’alofa received information from Fiji Police that divers had found three men, believed to be the Tongan fishermen, swimming in the sea near Oneata. The men had been missing in Tonga on July 30 after they left in a 20ft boat from Nomuka, Ha’apai on a fishing trip.