Two Marine Volunteers Killed Rescuing Distressed Yacht Off Ballina
Two Marine Volunteers Killed Rescuing Distressed Yacht Off Ballina
Tributes pour in as two Marine Rescue NSW volunteers die after a rescue boat capsized while helping a yacht near Ballina in rough seas.
Two Marine Rescue NSW volunteers were among three people killed after a rescue boat capsized while trying to help a yacht in distress off the east coast of Australia, near Ballina.
Emergency services were called at 6:15 pm after a yacht was reported struggling near the Ballina breakwater. Marine Rescue NSW dispatched six volunteers aboard a Ballina 30 rescue vessel, a craft built for local conditions.
The vessel capsized while crossing the Ballina bar in very severe conditions, with a 2.5-meter swell driving in from the east. The Ballina bar is a notoriously hazardous entrance to the Richmond River.
The rescuers aged 78 and 62 died, and a third man in his mid-50s was found dead on the sand nearby. Four others reached shore.
The search was called off early on Tuesday after all those involved were accounted for.
A Marine Rescue NSW spokesperson said it has been a terrible night for the organization and that the focus is on supporting the families of those affected and the volunteers.
Superintendent Joe McNulty noted the crew had set out on a fit-for-purpose Ballina 30 rescue vessel, which was locally procured and designed for NSW conditions, and that rescuers undertake extensive training for bar crossings.
