NZ pair rescued after yacht sinks in Fiji

Last updated 15:39 31/05/2012

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Two New Zealanders have been rescued after the yacht they were on sunk off the Fijian port of Savusavu.

New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre said it assisted with the rescue of a man and a woman from the 14-metre yacht Touche, which sank after hitting a reef at around noon today.

The NZ-registered yacht was about 26 nautical miles east of Savusavu harbour, at the entrance to Samosamo Strait.

Search and Rescue Officer Kevin Banaghan said a 59-year-old man from Great Barrier Island and a 53-year-old woman from Tauranga were rescued after abandoning ship and activating their emergency position-indicating radio beacon.

Both are safe and well, he said.

On receiving the distress beacon's signal, NZ's rescue coordination centre advised Fijian authorities, who sent a tug and rescued the pair at about 2pm, New Zealand time.

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