Mackay Boat Missing, Death – After their boat capsized, two men from Brisbane were reported missing for 15 and 10 hours, respectively. Another individual who was on board is still missing and the search continues. On Tuesday, the three guys had apparently set out on a fishing trip aboard a seven-meter Goodwin Longboat. A search and rescue operation involving many agencies was launched Thursday evening after an EPIRB was activated, according to Whitsunday Water Police officer Syrrell Howard.
Police, CQ Rescue, and the Mackay Volunteer Marine Service were all notified after the Australian Maritme Safety Authority was notified. On Friday, two men, including a 43-year-old male from Bray Park, were located and rescued from Creal Reef, which is located around 150 kilometers from the coast of Mackay. It would take a boat up to 6.5 hours to go the 85 nautical miles from where Senior Constable Howard says the EPIRB signal was sent to the coast. He then went on to say, “That gives you an idea of how remote the location is.”
He stated that late last night, a rescue chopper spotted a man clinging to the hull of a capsized ship. He explained that the crew lost sight of the man as they came closer because “for some unknown reason the man has become detached from the vessel.” It is believed that the rescue chopper returned to land in order to refuel. Thankfully, at 5:50 a.m., we learned that a male had been pulled from the river, as Senior Constable Howard put it. He stated that a marine rescue vessel was sent to Grasstree Beach after an aircraft saw a 44-year-old guy in need of assistance.
He stated that the man was reported to be in serious condition, prompting the dispatch of a medical team to transport him via helicopter to Mackay Base Hospital. At 11:10 a.m., a second male, aged 43, was discovered. His extraction from the sea was accomplished by a CQ Rescue team winching him down from above. The man informed the search party that the first survivor’s younger brother was still out there. A helicopter took the 43-year-old man to Mackay Base Hospital.
The 43-year-old’s information has been inconsistent, said to Senior Constable Howard, but he is optimistic that more will become obvious as he heals. According to an AMSA representative, a search and rescue operation is currently underway to find the missing 41-year-old brother. They said that a local fishing trawler and helicopters from Cairns and Townsville, as well as Mackay’s RSCU412 and a pilot transfer helicopter from Mackay, were involved in the search.