A missing boat with 11 people on board has returned to Nuku'alofa this evening after calling for assistance off 'Eueiki Island near Tongatapu. Some of the passengers were taken to Vaiola Hospital for observation and were later released, search and rescuers reported tonight.

"The man is okay but two women and the children were taken to hospital by a doctor after they landed at the wharf," said Acting Deputy Commissioner Operations and Crimes ‘Atunaisa Taumoepeau this evening. Police reported later that they were all released from hospital tonight.

'Atunaisa, who was out all day on the Tonga Police Search and Rescue vessel, which kept searching until it was almost out of fuel, said they arrived back at the wharf at about 7:30pm "almost the same time as the missing boat arrived back at the wharf."

He said the police boat had searched the area from Nuku'alofa to Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai, which was the way the currents were drifting to the west, but it was strange that the missing boat called from the east near 'Eueiki when it came into the cell phone reception at around 7:00pm. The boat had left Nuku'alofa yesterday afternoon, Monday 27 June, and was bound for Fonoifua island near Mango Island in southern Ha’apai, where it failed to arrive at about midnight.

Tonga Police expect to release further information after talking to the captain tomorrow, Wednesday.

New Zealand assistance

This afternoon an RNZAF P3 Orion aircraft that was in the area on a training flight conducted a radar and visual search of the area for three hours but was unable to spot the missing vessel. Another New Zealand P3 Orion was being requested to continue the search tomorrow, but will no longer be needed.

RCCNZ Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Chris Henshaw advised that the weather conditions in the area today for the search were quite good with light easterly winds, a reasonable sea and 1m swell, and the RNZAF P3 Orion advised they had 50km visibility amongst light clouds.