A search and rescue operation to find five missing fishermen who jumped from their boat after an alleged beheading off Fiji is in its final day.
Bad weather has hampered the search for the remaining crew of the Chinese-owned, Fiji-flagged tuna longliner FV Tiro II - which sank on Friday.
Fiji's navy says three of the crew are accounted for after they were picked up by a Fijian patrol boat later that night.
The Fiji Navy commander, Captain Humphrey Tawake admitted he was optimistic about the men being found alive - despite improvements in the weather.
"It has improved slightly, but during the initial days of search it was really, really bad. But we gave it our best shot."
Captain Tawake said the missing men are unlikely to be wearing lifejackets.
He said civilian vessels will continue to keep an eye out following the end of the official operation.
Some debris, probably from the sunken fishing vessel, has been found.
A Fijian Navy crew hand over the survivors found on board the FV TIRO II to Fiji police. Photo: Rescue Coordination Centre Fiji
Crew members being questioned
Fijian police are still questioning members of the crew.
Fiji Times reporter Luke Rawalai told RNZ's Morning Report the rescued crew members were at the centre of police investigations.
"At the moment the situation is sketchy as police have not confirmed the beheading," he said.
A Fijian Navy crew hand over the survivors found on board the FV TIRO II to Fiji police. Photo: Rescue Coordination Centre Fiji
"At the moment it is all allegations. We have been talking to police and on Friday the Republic of Fiji Naval Services had rescued another two crew members of the boat who they handed over to police for investigation purposes.
"All that is coming from police at the moment is they are not confirming the beheading yet because they are still in the process of interrogating the two crew.
"There was another boat crew that had been rescued from the high seas earlier on."
There is still no understanding as to why the crew members abandoned the vessel and local police had advised media that reports of a beheading or any other detail regarding the events was merely speculation at this point.
"What we're being told to the Naval services is they can confirm the crew of the boat that had abandoned the ship but only when investigations are over that they will be able to release the reasons as to why the crews had abandoned the boat," Rawalai said.
The rescued men are the centre of the police investigation. Photo: Rescue Coordination Centre Fiji
