NZ airforce plane returns to NZ after Kiribati search

[Stacey King]

Otago Daily News - Sun, 19 Jul 2009 News: National
A New Zealand airforce plane which had been helping to search for survivors after a ferry capsized in Kiribati has stopped because of a fuel shortage. The C-130 Hercules joined the search, coordinated by Fiji authorities, after the double-hulled 17 metre canoe capsized on Monday on route from Tarawa to Maiana.
The boat was believed to have capsized when the captain tried to rescue a crew member who fell overboard, Radio New Zealand reported. Of the 40 passengers, 20 people were found alive and seven bodies recovered.
New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Centre spokesman Neville Blakemore said the search had been scaled back though local fishing boats will continue to search.