A man who goes missing when his brother and another man are rescued after strapping themselves to an esky to survive a harrowing night at sea when their boat capsized
- Two found and another man missing after boat capsized
- The boat sank off the coast of Mackay around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday
- Brother of man clinging to esky has yet to be located
A search for a man who fell off a boat overnight into a remote reef continues until Friday afternoon as the two other men on board were rescued to safety.
The search and rescue mission off the coast of Mackay, Queensland, was launched Thursday night after a boat carrying three fishermen capsized after being hit by a rogue wave.
Two men have been rescued and are in hospital in a serious but stable condition. A third man, 41, is still missing.
The man who cannot be located is the brother of the first man who was rescued, with the brothers initially tethered to an esky before becoming separated.
The missing man’s brother, 44, was rescued Friday morning and found tied to the esky.
Rescue crews continue to fight after a boat with three men on board capsized around Creal Reef, about 150 km east of Mackay. Queensland with one man still missing at sea (Photo: RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter)
Two men were rescued after their boat was hit by a rogue wave off the coast of Mackay around 8.30pm on Tuesday. They are in hospital in a serious but stable condition with a third man – the brother of one of the rescued – still missing (Photo: Mackay Coast)
The Grasstree Beach man was picked up by a VMR vessel shortly after midnight and flown to hospital in stable condition.
At around 11am on Friday, a 43-year-old man from Bray Park was located by a RACQ rescue helicopter and taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition after being located about 170km offshore in the remote area of Creal Reef.
A spokesperson for RACQ CQ Rescue told the Courier Mail a rogue wave hit the seven-foot Goodwin Longboard men’s vessel around 8:30 p.m. Thursday evening, causing the boat to capsize.
“All three were in the water after the boat sank and the two brothers tied themselves to a blue sky… They all got separated somehow.”
The 43-year-old was found without a life jacket and without any clothes on.
He suffers from exposure, dehydration and hypothermia and slips in and out of consciousness.
“As part of the search early this morning, Volunteer Marine Rescue recovered another man from the water and Townsville Helicopter Rescue 500 lifted him and transported him to Mackay Base Hospital in serious condition,” the RACQ CQ Rescue spokesperson continued.
“One person is still missing and the search will continue.”
At around 11am on Friday, a second man was rescued by a RACQ rescue helicopter (pictured) and taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition after drifting about 170km offshore in the remote area of Creal Reef.
There will be an update from police in the Whitsundays on Friday afternoon.
The multi-agency operation has been underway since an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EFIRB) was activated aboard the boat at approximately 8:10 p.m. Thursday.
At approximately 9.30pm, the RACQ-CQ Rescue helicopter was called in to assist in the search around Creal Reef, about 150 km east of Mackay.
A Queensland Police spokesperson confirmed that an overturned boat was found at about 12.30am on Friday.
More to come.