Two men remain missing days after boat wrecked

Choppy seas have prevented searchers reaching a remote volcanic island in Tonga to look for two men missing since their yacht was wrecked late last week.

The Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand, which is in charge of the operation, said yesterday two days of aerial and onwater searching had failed to locate the men, both in their 60s.

The plan was to take a fishing boat with a search party aboard to the rocky island of Late.

Rough seas meant the boat was not able to reach the island.

The Australian and Englishman used a satellite phone to call a relative in Victoria, Australia, on Thursday.

They said they had run aground and their 50-metre Bavaria yacht, Navillus, was breaking up.

An emergency locator beacon was activated at the same time.

A search with two fishing boats and an aerial search by the Rescue Co-ordination Centre, found the hull of the yacht, debris and an undeployed liferaft. The centre has arranged for two boats to resume searching this morning.

Extensive on-water searching following drift modelling by the centre , as well as an aerial search by an RNZAF P3 Orion, failed to find the men. Search and Rescue Mission co-ordinator John Dickson said yesterday a search party would check the island.

‘‘Crew members from the search vessels have already landed on Late to check the most likely landing points for signs of the men coming ashore,’’ he said. ‘‘However, we want a grid-search of the island undertaken so we can state with absolute confidence that the island has been comprehensively covered.’’

The police in Victoria are coordinating contact with next of kin. The men’s names have not been released.