BY ISABEL EVERETT
Four men have been rescued from waters North of Nelson Bay after their boat sank off Broughton Island.
At around 7.20am on Monday morning the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked by the AMSAR (Australian Maritime Safety Authority) following the activation of an emergency distress.
The four people on the stricken boat set off a flare, alerting a fisher on a nearby recreational vessel who was able to get to the scene quickly to pull all four people to safety.
The three men in their 20's and a man in his 40's were assessed by the Helicopter Critical Care Medical Team and they were conveyed back to Nelson Bay in a stable condition by Volunteer
Marine Rescue.
‘Because the vessel owner had
done all the right things—registered the EPIRB, told his emergency contact
where they were going and when they were expected back home—we were able to
initiate a rescue quickly, knowing what we were dealing with," AMSA Response Centre (ARC) Duty Manager Joseph Zeller said.
The owner of the stricken vessel
had all the right emergency equipment and knew how to use it.
‘Setting off the flare resulted
in a rescue soon after their vessel capsized, which meant that when rescue authorities
arrived on scene, the four people were out of immediate danger,’ Joseph said.
‘We can’t stress enough the
importance of having your safety equipment in order. This rescue is a good
example of how smoothly rescue authorities and others around you can respond
when you have the right equipment, it’s accessible in the event of an
emergency, and you know how to use it.’
Broughton Island is an island 14 km north-east of Port Stephens.
