Search continues for missing two

A FISHERMAN lost at sea in Cyclone Hamish is believed to have found an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) floating among the debris in the water and activated it.

Wrapped in a thermal blanket, the fisherman arrived on shore this morning aboard an RACQ CQ rescue helicopter and walked to a waiting ambulance.

The man is one of three fishermen missing off the central Queensland coast east of Rockhampton. He was rescued from six-metre swells caused by cyclone Hamish, however the other two men remain missing.

The survivor walked into Rockhampton Hospital for treatment and is being interviewed by police.

RACQ CQ Rescue air crewman Darren Bobin said he was lucky to be alive.

“From what he relayed to me, he’s extremely lucky,” Mr Bobin said.

He said the 20-year-old was dehydrated, but otherwise appeared okay.

CQ Rescue crewman Darren Bobin said there were three people in the fishing vessel, which was anchored at Sweet Lip Reef early on Monday morning.

“The cyclone came through and capsized the vessel, and it rolled a number of times. This man jumped into a life raft, which was at the back of the boat. The life raft rolled and he was thrown into the water.”
 
Mr Bobin said the man was wearing a life jacket.

When the survivor last saw the other two men, they were still in the fishing vessel.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) spokeswoman Tracey Jiggins said the man had safely made it to a life raft dropped to him by a rescue aircraft and had been flown to Capricorn Helicopter Rescue base.

Yesterday evening two aircraft flew into the eye of Cyclone Hamish in a desperate bid to locate a missing trawler and its three crewmen. The search resumed this morning.

An emergency beacon from the stricken 20-metre vessel placed it at Swain Reefs, 140 nautical miles east of Rockhampton, where the force of the destructive cyclone was at its height.

The crew of the MBC, out of Hervey Bay, had called the trawler owner earlier in the day to say they were taking a battering and had anchored to ride out the storm.

But by mid-morning Monday, SOS signals were received from the trawler's emergency beacon and no further contact could be made with the crew.

Tracey Jiggins, from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, said a Hercules with night vision equipment arrived at the reef about 7pm. It was joined by a Dornier from the search and rescue fleet and the two planes began the hunt.

Steve Murphy, chairman of Queensland's trawler committee, said it was impossible to imagine the conditions on board such a small vessel in such high winds.

“I've been at sea in some rough storms, but nothing of this magnitude.

“It will be horrendous out there. It might be calm behind the reef, but you have to worry about those winds.”

A distress signal was sounded from the trawler about 10am on Monday and a fixed-wing aircraft came within 28 nautical miles (52km) of the distress signal about 1.30pm but had to abort due to the extreme weather conditions.

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