A man who was washed overboard from a merchant vessel northwest of Singapore had been found by the New Zealand Air Force.
Squadron Leader Geoff Pierce of headquarters joint forces New Zealand said the man was found three hours after he was washed overboard from the vessel by a P3K Orion operating out of Malaysia.
The P3K Orion aircraft was preparing for participation in an international yearly exercise, the Bersama Shield, when it received a mayday call from the merchant vessel reporting a man lost overboard.
"It was a lucky coincidence our air crew were in the area and able to spot him. We were able to successful direct another vessel to his location .
He said the aircraft flew to the last known location of the sailor, and spotted a red flashing beacon.
