Last night a multi-agency search and rescue operation successfully saved three local men, who were out fishing from a sinking 6.9-metre vessel near Block Reef, about 70 nautical miles offshore.
The men were rescued after a mayday call was received at 10:15pm. Water Police, Volunteer Marine Rescue Association Queensland (VMRAQ), and a civilian boat were all involved in the rescue operation.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) also received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) activation at the same time with the same coordinates and dispatched the Cairns-based Challenger rescue aircraft along with two rescue helicopters
The Queensland water police, assumed coordination of the surface assets, which included the police vessel the ‘Damien Leeding.’
The helicopter dropped a life raft to the individuals at around 12:30am. The police vessel was about 45 minutes off at that time. The boat sank at the time of the life raft being dropped, and the men were forced to swim and climb into the life raft.
The men stayed in the life raft around 45 minutes until the police vessel was able to deploy their tender to collect them.
After collection, Senior Constable Damien Watts, stated that the men were “cold, they were very hungry, they were given some warm drinks so it was probably one of the best tasting cups of instant coffee they’ve ever had.”
“No injuries, I think they were very grateful to be saved,” Damien added.
“A great effort from all agencies involved, it was a timely deployment.”
Incidents like this serve as a crucial reminder of the importance of registering your EPIRB, ensuring your vessel is seaworthy, verifying that radios are functioning, and confirming that all safety equipment is onboard.
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