WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand rescuers have found seven survivors from a ferry carrying an estimated 50 people that went missing more than a week ago from the Pacific nation of Kiribati.

Defence Force Air Commodore Darryn Webb says a military Orion plane found the survivors Sunday aboard a small dinghy and dropped them supplies including food, water and a radio. He says a fishing vessel has diverted to the location and is expected to pick up the survivors Sunday afternoon.

Authorities say the MV Butiraoi, a 17.5-metre (57-foot) wooden catamaran, left Nonouti Island bound for South Tarawa on Jan. 18. The journey of 240 kilometres (149 miles) was expected to take two days.

Senior Search and Rescue Officer John Ashby says the ferry was first reported missing to them on Friday.</s>A fishing boat has collected seven people in a dingy found in the search for a Kiribati ferry that's been missing in the Pacific for more than a week.

A New Zealand Air Force Orion aircraft located the four to five-metre dinghy on Sunday and took images as the boat diverted to the scene to pick up the group.

"The group seem very relieved to have been found when the New Zealand Air Force Orion dropped supplies, including water and a radio, to them about 10am today," says Rescue Co-ordination Centre of New Zealand (RCCNZ) Senior Search and Rescue Officer John Ashby.

Mr Ashby said the dinghy was understood to be one of two carried on the missing ferry, MV Butiraoi, and was located within a search area in the Pacific as large as New Zealand in size.

Local authorities were alerted to the missing 17m wooden catamaran after it failed to arrive in Betio on January 20, having left Nonouti island two days prior.

The RCCNZ received a request for aerial assistance on Friday.

Kiribati authorities say the ferry underwent repairs to its propeller shaft before leaving Nonouti.</s>Six adults and an unconscious baby were rescued on Sunday from a life raft in the Pacific Ocean after drifting for four days in the blazing sun without water.

The survivors had scrambled onto the small wooden dinghy after the ferry they were aboard sank, according to authorities.

New Zealand Defence Force Air Commodore Darryn Webb said the crew on a military Orion plane had used radar to locate the dinghy while searching for survivors.

He said the ferry had been carrying at least 50 people while traveling between two islands in the remote nation of Kiribati.

Webb said there had been no sign of any other survivors. He said it was not yet clear what caused the ferry to sink.

 The plane dropped supplies to the survivors including food, water, and a radio, Webb said. The survivors used the radio to tell rescuers they had managed to get off the ferry when it capsized and climb aboard the dinghy, he said.

 Webb said the survivors had very little time to react and found themselves adrift without water or an engine. He said they did have a blanket or tarpaulin which they may have been able to use to get some relief from the sun.

Webb said a fishing boat had changed its course and picked up the survivors on Sunday afternoon. He said the dinghy was drifting more than 112 miles from the nearest major island when it was found.

 “Our heart goes out to the baby and to all those remaining of the 50-plus people,” he said.

While thankful the life raft was found, Webb said it was also heartbreaking the ferry had sunk and the others were still missing. He said there was a lot of debris near the dinghy, which may have been from the ferry.

Searchers planned to regroup and interview the survivors before deciding whether to continue the search, he added.

 Questions remain as to why it took Kiribati authorities so long to tell New Zealand officials the ferry was missing. Webb said a Kiribati plane had earlier searched for the ferry but didn’t have sophisticated radar equipment.

Named the MV Butiraoi, the 57-foot wooden catamaran left Nonouti Island bound for South Tarawa on January 18, according to authorities. The journey was supposed to take two days. New Zealand rescuers say they were not told about the missing boat until Friday, eight days after the ferry had left.

Senior Search and Rescue Officer John Ashby said they had been told the ferry underwent repairs to its propeller shaft just before leaving, which may have contributed to navigation problems.

 Kiribati is a remote, impoverished nation of 33 atolls that is home to about 108,000 people.

 – PA</s>WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand rescuers have found seven survivors from a ferry carrying an estimated 50 people that went missing more than a week ago from the Pacific nation of Kiribati.

Defence Force Air Commodore Darryn Webb says a military Orion plane found the survivors Sunday aboard a small dinghy and dropped them supplies including food, water and a radio. He says a fishing vessel has diverted to the location and is expected to pick up the survivors Sunday afternoon.

Authorities say the MV Butiraoi, a 17.5-metre (57-foot) wooden catamaran, left Nonouti Island bound for South Tarawa on Jan. 18. The journey of 240 kilometers (149 miles) was expected to take two days.

Senior Search and Rescue Officer John Ashby says the ferry was first reported missing to them on Friday.</s>Wellington: Seven people have been found on board one of the dinghies from a Kiribati ferry that's been missing in the Pacific for more than a week.

A New Zealand Air Force Orion aircraft located the four to five-metre dinghy on Sunday, and crews have dropped aid to those on board.

The Rescue Co-ordination Centre of New Zealand says a fishing vessel has been diverted to rescue the people.

"The group seem very relieved to have been found when the New Zealand Air Force Orion dropped supplies, including water and a radio, to them about 10am today," says RCCNZ Senior Search and Rescue Officer John Ashby.

Mr Ashby says the dinghy is understood to be one of two carried on the missing ferry, MV Butiraoi, and was located within the search area.

The Orion is continuing the search, with three hours of flight time remaining in the day.

A radar search of 145,000 square kilometres was carried out on Saturday.

Local authorities were alerted to the missing 17-metre wooden catamaran after it failed to arrive in Betio on January 20, having left Nonouti Island two days prior.

The RCCNZ received a request for aerial assistance on Friday.</s>WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand rescuers have found seven survivors from a ferry carrying an estimated 50 people that went missing more than a week ago from the Pacific nation of Kiribati.

Defence Force Air Commodore Darryn Webb says a military Orion plane found the survivors Sunday aboard a small dinghy and dropped them supplies including food, water and a radio. He says a fishing vessel has diverted to the location and is expected to pick up the survivors Sunday afternoon.

Authorities say the MV Butiraoi, a 17.5-metre (57-foot) wooden catamaran, left Nonouti Island bound for South Tarawa on Jan. 18. The journey of 240 kilometers (149 miles) was expected to take two days.

Senior Search and Rescue Officer John Ashby says the ferry was first reported missing to them on Friday.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Six adults and an unconscious baby were rescued today from a life raft in the Pacific Ocean after drifting for four days in the blazing sun without water.

The survivors had scrambled onto the small wooden dinghy after the ferry they were aboard sank, according to authorities.

New Zealand Defence Force Air Commodore Darryn Webb said the crew on a military Orion plane had used radar to locate the dinghy while searching for survivors.

He said the ferry had been carrying at least 50 people while traveling between two islands in the remote nation of Kiribati.

The survivors used the radio to tell rescuers they'd managed to get off the ferry when it capsized and climb aboard the dinghy, he said.

Mr Webb said the survivors had very little time to react and found themselves adrift without water or an engine.

He said they did have a blanket or tarpaulin which they may have been able to use to get some relief from the sun.

He said the dinghy was drifting more than 180 kilometers (112 miles) from the nearest major island when it was found.

"Our heart goes out to the baby and to all those remaining of the 50-plus people," he said.

While thankful the life raft was found, Mr Webb said it was also heartbreaking the ferry had sunk and the others were still missing.

He said there was a lot of debris near the dinghy, which may have been from the ferry.

Questions remain as to why it took Kiribati authorities so long to tell New Zealand officials the ferry was missing.

New Zealand rescuers say they weren't told about the missing boat until Friday, eight days after the ferry had left.

Senior Search and Rescue Officer John Ashby said they'd been told the ferry underwent repairs to its propeller shaft just before leaving, which may have contributed to navigation problems.</s>New Zealand rescuers have found seven survivors from a ferry carrying an estimated 50 people that went missing more than a week ago from the Pacific nation of Kiribati.

Defence Force Air Commodore Darryn Webb says a military Orion plane found the survivors Sunday aboard a small dinghy and dropped them supplies including food, water and a radio. He says a fishing vessel has diverted to the location and is expected to pick up the survivors Sunday afternoon.

Authorities say the MV Butiraoi, a 17.5-metre (57-foot) wooden catamaran, left Nonouti Island bound for South Tarawa on Jan. 18. The journey of 240 kilometers (149 miles) was expected to take two days.

Senior Search and Rescue Officer John Ashby says the ferry was first reported missing to them on Friday.</s>Six adults and an unconscious baby were rescued on Sunday from a life raft in the Pacific Ocean after drifting for four days in the blazing sun without water.

The survivors had scrambled onto the small wooden dinghy after the ferry they were aboard sank, according to authorities.

New Zealand Defence Force Air Commodore Darryn Webb said the crew on a military Orion plane had used radar to locate the dinghy while searching for survivors.

He said the ferry had been carrying at least 50 people while travelling between two islands in the remote nation of Kiribati.

Webb said there had been no sign of any other survivors. He said it was not yet clear what caused the ferry to sink.

The plane dropped supplies to the survivors including food, water and a radio, Webb said. The survivors used the radio to tell rescuers they had managed to get off the ferry when it capsized and climb aboard the dinghy, he said.

Webb said the survivors had very little time to react and found themselves adrift without water or an engine. He said they did have a blanket or tarpaulin which they may have been able to use to get some relief from the sun.

A wooden dinghy, left, carrying seven survivors from a missing ferry and a fishing boat in the Pacific Ocean. Photo: New Zealand Defence Force via AP

Webb said a fishing boat had changed its course and picked up the survivors on Sunday afternoon. He said the dinghy was drifting more than 112 miles from the nearest major island when it was found.

"Our heart goes out to the baby and to all those remaining of the 50-plus people," he said.

While thankful the life raft was found, Webb said it was also heartbreaking the ferry had sunk and the others were still missing. He said there was a lot of debris near the dinghy, which may have been from the ferry.

Searchers planned to regroup and interview the survivors before deciding whether to continue the search, he added.

Questions remain as to why it took Kiribati authorities so long to tell New Zealand officials the ferry was missing. Webb said a Kiribati plane had earlier searched for the ferry but didn’t have sophisticated radar equipment.

Named the MV Butiraoi, the 57-foot wooden catamaran left Nonouti Island bound for South Tarawa on January 18, according to authorities. The journey was supposed to take two days. New Zealand rescuers say they were not told about the missing boat until Friday, eight days after the ferry had left.

Senior Search and Rescue Officer John Ashby said they had been told the ferry underwent repairs to its propeller shaft just before leaving, which may have contributed to navigation problems.

Kiribati is a remote, impoverished nation of 33 atolls that is home to about 108,000 people.</s>Six adults and an unconscious baby were rescued Sunday from a life raft in the Pacific Ocean after drifting for four days in the blazing sun without water.

The survivors had scrambled onto the small wooden dinghy after their ferry sank, authorities said.

While aboard the dinghy, they drifted for more than 110 miles from the nearest major island when they were found, and debris likely from the ferry was floating around the raft, officials said.

The ferry had been carrying at least 50 people while traveling between two islands in the remote nation of Kiribati, said Darryn Webb, New Zealand Defence Force air commodore. It was not yet clear what caused the ferry to sink, authorities said.

The search crew on a military plane had used radar to locate the dinghy while searching for survivors.

The plane dropped supplies to the survivors -- including food, water and a radio -- while a fishing boat had changed its course to pick up the survivors Sunday afternoon.

"Our heart goes out to the baby and to all those remaining of the 50-plus people," he said.

While thankful the life raft was found, Webb said it was also heartbreaking the ferry had sunk and the others were still missing, as there has been no sign of any other survivors.

Questions remain as to why it took Kiribati authorities so long to tell New Zealand officials the ferry was missing.

New Zealand rescuers say they weren't told about the missing boat until Friday, eight days after the ferry had left. Webb said a Kiribati plane had earlier searched for the ferry but didn't have sophisticated radar equipment.

Kiribati is a remote, impoverished nation of 33 atolls that is home to about 108,000 people.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Seven survivors from the MV Butiraoi, six adults and a baby, are found in a dinghy and rescued, four days after the 50-passenger ferry sank in Kiribati. New Zealand rescuers say there is a lot of debris near the dinghy, but no sign of anyone else.