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TUESDAY, 9AM UPDATE:
A major search operation to locate three missing fishermen off Mission Beach has entered its third day.
It comes after a group of four workmates set off on an overnight recreational fishing trip on Friday, and failed to return Saturday afternoon as planned.
One man, a 36-year-old Tongan national, was found clinging to a floating item on Sunday and rescued by Water Police.
Police say he was in the water for about 30 hours.
He remains in Innisfail Hospital in a stable condition.
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A 24-year-old local, the owner of the vessel, and two Vanuatu nationals – a 26-year-old and a 31-year-old – remain missing.
Acting Inspector Brett Jenkins said police believe the trio attempted to swim to land after their boat encountered engine issues and sank.
“From the information we’ve received, [we believe] they could sight an island, and that was the Barnard Island Group,” he said.
“That’s approximately five kilometres east from Cowley Beach.
“We’ve searched a number of islands around the Barnard Island Group.
“We are also concentrating our search area on the coastline around the Cowley Beach area in the event that any of the remaining missing persons have made it to shore.
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Act Insp Jenkins said it’s believed the water conditions became “rough” over Friday night.
“I’ve spoken to a number of local boaties who did say that the conditions became very unfavourable into Friday night,” he said.
“They had engine troubles on the way back, we believe, and the vessel was stationary at the time and started to take on water over the stern.
“Unfortunately, we believe the vessel sank very quickly.
“We believe there was an EPIRB in the vessel, fire extinguishers and all the safety equipment.
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“It’s never too late to activate the EPIRB, as soon as conditions become unfavourable, we urge boaties to activate their EPIRB.”
Act Insp Jenkins said the “no expenses spared” search covers a “significant’ area, spanning about 35km from group’s departure at Clump Point.
“While we’ve got our assets up searching we always try to stay positive and put in every effort we can to achieve our objective.”
EARLIER:
A major search operation is underway for a group of fishermen missing in Far North Queensland waters.
Four men set off from Clump Point near Mission Beach on Friday and later reported engine issues.
One man was found clinging to a floating item yesterday afternoon, while the other three men remain missing.
The rescued boatie, aged 36, is in a stable condition in Innisfail Hospital.
Police launched the search yesterday morning after being notified by family members that the group had not returned Saturday afternoon as expected.
“A search involving aerial, water and land assets was launched immediately including helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, Water Police and Volunteer Marine Rescue,” a police spokesperson said.
“Around 4.30pm one of the men was found floating with a small white item off North Barnard Island Group by a helicopter searching and rescued by Water Police who were nearby.
“He was taken to Innisfail Hospital suffering from hypothermia and exposure having been in the water for a number of hours.
“The search continues as fears are held for the three men who remain outstanding.”
Local aviation company Mission Helicopters assisted the search effort yesterday.
“Mission Helicopters crew successfully located one of the survivors who had been exposed to the sea elements for over 24-hours after their vessel sank yesterday,” the company said in a public post.
“Our Bell 206L3 LongRanger and locally-based crew coordinated vessels in the area to the survivor’s location which then safely recovered him from the water.”
More to come.
Main points
- Three fishermen remain missing off the Cassowary Coast after their boat sunk over the weekend
- One man was located after spending about 30 hours in the water
- It’s believed the trio attempted to swim to land near the Barnard Island Group and Cowley Beach
