21 Rescued From Life Raft After Boat Hits Reef and Capsizes Off Queensland Coast

A charter fishing boat has capsized at Swains Reef, about 200 kilometres off Yeppoon because of rough weather. The 22-metre fishing vessel was hit by huge winds of 52 knots overnight before the ship capsized. There were 21 passengers in the ship. All of them are managed to be rescued by the police. The rescue operation was launched after the Australian Rescue and Safety Authority (AusSAR) detected two emergency signals. The rescue operation involved a fixed-wing aircraft, three emergency choppers and three nearby vessels. It is said that after the ship capsized, the 21 passengers climbed up to a life raft and then were save by a passing fishing charter before they were found by the police. The cause of the accident is still unknown. There were no death reported, however, the rescued had only minor bruises and scratches.