Fed: Officials to decide next steps in Aussie kayaker rescue

AAP General News (Australia)
02-12-2007
Fed: Officials to decide next steps in Aussie kayaker rescue

New Zealand rescue officials meet this morning to decide on their next steps as the
search for Australian kayaker ANDREW MCAULEY resumes.

They'll assess the weather .. ocean currents .. the time elapsed since the search began
.. and the gear Mr MCAULEY carried.

The search continued last night until darkness .. but failed to find any trace of MCAULEY
.. who had been expected to arrive in Milford Sound in the south island yesterday.

He left Tasmania on January 11 .. hoping to become the first person to paddle across
the Tasman in a kayak.

The Australian's upturned kayak was found late Saturday in rough seas about 75 kilometres
off Milford Sound.

Concerns about his safety emerged after New Zealand maritime authorities picked up
a garbled distress message on Friday night.

Hopes of finding him alive have faded amid conflicting reports of whether he was carrying
his vital full-body immersion suit.

The suit would have extended his survival in the water by up to 11 hours.

AAP RTV vpm/wz/psm/

KEYWORD: NZ KAYAK (SYDNEY)

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